A trader has pleaded guilty to selling clothing fashioned from endangered wild cats, authorities said.
Timothy Norris illegally listed fur coats, hats and scarves for sale on eBay which had been created from leopards, ocelots, lynx and wolves, Scotland Yard said.
The 40-year-old, from Surrey, pleaded guilty to illegally trading in endangered species at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (20th Sept 2018).
A clouded leopard fur coat that was seized (Metropolitan Police/PA)
He was handed 200 hours of community service and the garments are being seized by police.
Sarah Bailey, from Scotland Yard’s wildlife crime unit, said Norris was helping to fuel the illegal wildlife trade and his actions “could threaten the conservation status of remaining populations”.
Metropolitan Police wildlife unit officers raided his home last February and found 24 fur clothing items, mainly coats, fashioned from the fur of wild cats.
Source: Wimbledon Guardian
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