MAN FINED FOR STEALING BADGER TEETH
A man who stole teeth from over 513 badgers has finally been brought to book after he was caught by watchful wardens.
Roland Snipper, 37, was arrested after being seen loitering around the base of Traubert’s Hill with a squirming rucksack on several occasions during the months of September and October last year.
When his home in Traubert’s Heath was searched, police found a total of 2,700 badger teeth wrapped in cling film and hidden in the cistern of an upstairs toilet.
Appearing before Froghill Magistrates Court on Monday, Snipper admitted catching the badgers in a specially constructed snare made of teaspoons and a Happy Shopper bag. He also pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful anaesthesia and three counts of assault and dentistry.
Prosecuting counsel Peter Chaffe told the court that Snipper had deliberately endangered the lives of the animals by his actions.
He said: “Badgers are carnivorous animals which, when deprived of their teeth, experience great difficulty in eating. Many of your victims were reduced to raiding local shops and stealing cans of soup in their pathetic attempts to stay alive.
“I put it to you that you callously inflicted pain and suffering on these animals simply to line your own pocket.”
The court heard that the badger teeth were eventually destined for China, where they are much prized for their aphrodisiac qualities. A single tooth can fetch anything up to £75 on the black market, Mr Chaffe said.
Snipper was fined a total of £250 for stealing the teeth and ordered to pay £13,276.30 in costs. He was also forbidden to purchase or hire dental equipment within a 250 mile radius of Froghill.
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