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The Australian government announced a recent contraband haul that would make most peoples' skin crawl.More than 100,000 live exotic cockroaches were seized in New South Wales, the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) announced June 5. The operation marked the largest seizure of illegal exotic invertebrates in the nation’s history.“We take our job protecting Australia’s unique biodiversity and breaches of national environment law very seriously,” DCCEEW said in a news release. “We’re seeing illegal breeding and trading of exotic cockroaches and we’re putting pet businesses and pet owners on notice.”Here's what you should know about the seizure and cockroach trade.What good are cockroaches?The seizure in Australia included two different species, dubia cockroaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. It was valued at roughly $200,000 Australian dollars, or $140,000 U.S. dollars.According to the department, people breed and deal in exotic cockroaches as a food source for reptiles. Researchers have also looked into using Madagascar hissing cockroaches as an alternative to testing on mammals in certain fields.A risk to Australia's biodiversityNeither of the cockroach types have undergone an environmental risk assessment in Australia, DCCEEW noted in the news release, meaning they could spread disease and harm native wildlife and agriculture. As such, it is illegal to import, breed and sell them in the country.According to DCCEEW, the regional authorities will manage the euthanasia and disposal of the seized cockroaches.Drew Pittock covers national trending news for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.
