Reptile keeper: ‘Red tape got me in strife’
AN ANIMAL lover who pleaded guilty to failing to properly house one of the most dangerous snakes on the planet says he is disheartened by the amount of red tape involved in reptile licensing.
Laughlan Robert Gotje, 29, formerly of Stradbroke Island, pleaded guilty to five noncompliance charges in relation to keeping animals when he appeared in the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday.
Gotje’s home was inspected in July last year after police found “a large number of reptiles” in containers in the boot of his car at Mount Isa.
Following the inspection, authorities found Gotje did not have the required signage in place warning where he kept a pet coastal taipan – the third most toxic land snake, according to the Queensland Museum – among other issues.
Gotje’s barrister, Chris Rosser, told the court his client had exhibited “elements of recklessness”.
Magistrate Mark Howden retorted: “Regulation for these animals should be quite stringent … if it’s a snake like a coastal taipan, there ought not to be any recklessness.”
Mr Howden fined Gotje $1250. No conviction was recorded.
Outside court Gotje told the Gold Coast Bulletin keeping reptiles had become too much of a hassle.
“They make it too hard for everyone, especially for the people who love reptiles. Why ruin it for them?” said Gotje, who now lives in Cairns.
“Now I wouldn’t even bother getting a reptile licence. Unless you’re a veterinarian or a lawyer, there’s no point getting one because they (authorities) can get you whenever they want.”
In October last year Gotje was put on an 18-month $3000 good behaviour bond for being caught with 32 potentially endangered animals in his car at Mount Isa.
Gotje said he was rescuing the animals, which would have become roadkill.
“I was just driving to Alice Springs to drop off a car for a mate and there were heaps of injured animals that had been splattered by trucks on the side of the road – even rare thorny devils,” Gotje said.
“I was just sick of seeing them like that so I just put them in the car and I was going to bring them back to my vet and get them looked at here (on the Gold Coast).”
He said authorities euthanised the creatures as a result of the charges.
“Police picked me up and thought I was trying to sell them overseas and all this crazy stuff, and then they came around and took all my animals and stuff and euthanised them,” Gotje said.
“Animals that I’ve had for over 10 years – green tree pythons and goannas – they just euthanised them.
“One of the charges they tried to do me for was I acquired a goanna from a mate in Adelaide and it was an animal that could never be reintroduced into the wild because it was injured and I was trying to look after it and they tried to charge me, saying that I caused the injuries.”