Alex Trelinski
AN Alicante man has been fined €1,080 for selling natterjack toads on the internet.
He’s also been banned from breeding or trading wild animals for 18 months in addition to hunting and fishing for the same time period.
The Guardia Civil discovered he was marketing the endangered toads at €15 each and seized 23 of them when they raided his home.
His online advertisements portrayed him as a toad expert and he even offered advice on how to care for them.
An Alicante court ruled that he was aware that he was selling a protected species which is on Spain’s list of protected animals.
He decided to appeal the verdict and sentence to a higher court, but the original decision was upheld.
Swathes of toads have been wiped out in the last two decades Spain- not through larger animal predators- but as a result of viruses.
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