According to police, during a house search, they discovered a stuffed lion, stuffed birds, and dead butterflies. The man had bought the lion from Denmark and tried to sell it via ad sites. Police found evidence on his phone that he also bought and sold a puma and two stuffed kingfishers.
The man lacked legal background for the animals, and the court ruled he could not prove it, as required for trading protected species. He also advertised stuffed birds of species wild in the EU, all protected by regulation. The man denies the crime, claiming all animals were acquired legally.
His sentence includes a conditional sentence, 160 hours of community service, and a three-year business ban. The crime is considered serious due to systematic, long-term activity for profit. Several stuffed animals have been seized for confiscation.
Threatened species are protected by CITES, an international agreement requiring certificates for legal trade, covering about 5,600 animal and over 30,000 plant species.