Man sentenced in N.B. for illegally importing Cuban rock iguanas

Man sentenced in N.B. for illegally importing Cuban rock iguanas
Canada Border Services Agency
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Published Friday, June 9, 2017 3:33PM ADT

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

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