Venomous snakes and dragons are among the 219 native West Australian animals seized from a speeding car that police stopped near the South Australian border.
Police intercepted the car on Eyre Highway, near Eucla, on Thursday and found 15 large bags and about 15 plastic containers and bottles carrying 198 reptiles, 16 marsupials, three cockroaches and two spiders.
The WA Parks and Wildlife Service says it is the largest seizure of native animals in the state.
Wildlife officer Cameron Craigie said many animals were inhumanely cramped in small bags on top of each other.
"Several of the animals were already dead, or were in very poor health ... we have had to euthanase (some)," he said on Tuesday.
Perth Zoo vets are assessing the surviving animals.
Mr Craigie said most of the animals were from the Wheatbelt and Goldfields regions, and the southern coast.
He said removing native fauna from the wild was illegal and put the animals' welfare at significant risk.
"We have seen reptiles smuggled in inhumane conditions for extended periods of time without food or water, in extremes of temperature and generally with rough handling/treatment," he said.
"Any animals that do survive are usually purchased and sold on the black market, into collections that are often not subject to regulations or welfare monitoring by government authorities."
Mr Craigie said WA animals were sold at premium prices due to the biodiversity and large colour variations.
"The illegal wildlife trade throughout the world is increasing and, as a result, each animal now has a monetary value of up to around $4000 to $10,000 internationally," he said.
The maximum penalty for illegally exporting or importing and possessing wildlife in WA is $4000, or $10,000 for a specially protected species.
Under yet-to-be proclaimed new laws, the penalty for taking a critically endangered species will be up to $500,000 for an individual and $2.5 million for a corporate body.
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