Ontario man jailed for illegally importing Cuban rock iguanas

FREDERICTON — An Ontario man has been sentenced in New Brunswick to three months in jail for illegally trafficking in threatened iguanas.

Grigori Zaharov and a companion were intercepted by Canada Border Services Agency officers last September after returning on a flight from Cuba with two iguanas.

Environment and Climate Change Canada says they failed to declare the animals, identified as Cuban rock iguanas.

Zaharov, of Thornhill, Ont., pleaded guilty in Fredericton court to importing an animal without the necessary permits, and exporting an animal from Cuba without the proper authorization.

The Cuban rock iguana is one of the world’s largest iguanas. Adult males sometimes reach lengths of 1.25 to 1.5 metres and weights of nearly seven kilograms.

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This species is vulnerable due to habitat transformation and human disturbance, and illegal trade.

The Canadian Press