One man will spend a year in jail after the biggest illegal wildlife charge in Australia’s history.

A NSW man has been found guilty of 24 charges of possessing illegal wildlife products and sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

The home of Mr John Kolettas was searched as part of an extensive criminal investigation.

Police found 78 illegal wildlife products made from 24 threatened species; including 11 orang-utan skulls and 25 other skulls of monkeys, lynx, bears and a tiger.

Other illegal items included teeth and skins from species such as orang-utans, lynx, otters, and a feather headdress made from a bird of paradise.

Wildlife trafficking is a cruel and barbaric trade that has become widespread and lucrative. The trade is worth billions of dollars worldwide.

The illegal trade in wildlife is also driving the decline of many species around the world, and so it is up to Australian collectors, travellers and online shoppers to be aware of what they are buying, what it is made of, and where it is from.

The best way to avoid risk is to ask for supporting documentation and finding out about the regulations that apply. These things can be check on the wildlife trade section of the federal department website.