A collection of 3,404 rare bird eggs has been seized in Australia following a European-led operation targeting the illegal bird trade.

The eggs, discovered on July 9 at a property in Granton, Tasmania, are estimated to be worth between A$400,000 and A$500,000 (£207,000 – £259,000). They had been hollowed out, rendering them only valuable as ornaments.

Authorities are investigating a 62-year-old man in connection with the seizure, but no arrests have been made yet. The case highlights the growing issue of environmental and wildlife crime, which has become one of the world’s largest and most lucrative illegal markets, threatening many species with extinction.

The suspect is expected to face charges under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. According to a spokesperson from the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), the man is alleged to have collected and traded both Australian native and CITES-listed bird eggs internationally.

CITES-listed species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement designed to safeguard endangered plants and animals from global trade.

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