A man who was caught with meat from a threatened species of crocodile at the Calgary International Airport earlier this year has been fined $7,500.
On Sept. 20, Adeleke Abubakar Ali-Ibironke pleaded guilty in the Alberta Court of Justice to one count of unlawfully importing a species of animal without obtaining the required permits.
Ali-Ibironke arrived in Calgary on Feb. 26 and did not declare any food or animal products.
A further investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency discovered six pounds of meat products in his luggage, officials said.
Subsequent testing identified the meat as an african dwarf crocodile, which is classified as a threatened species.
Ali-Ibironke was charged under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act(opens in a new tab), a piece of legislation created to protect Canadian and foreign species of plants and animals from exploitation.
African dwarf crocodiles have been listed as a Level 1 species at risk under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1995.
According to CITES(opens in a new tab), commercial trade in these species is generally not allowed.
The fine will be paid to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.