Mitchell's Water Monitor and the DSE

[NicG]

Hi guys,

I was just wondering whether anyone had already put in a "Proposed changes to Schedules to the Wildlife Regulations" submission for Mitchell's Water Monitor, Varanus mitchelli, to be considered for the 2012 regulation rewrite.

For those that aren't aware, the only aquatic monitors that the Victorian DSE currently allows us to keep are the Mertens and the Mangrove. This makes no sense at all - why let you keep the larger varieties, with their extra housing overheads, and not the smaller variety? Particularly when it is able to be kept in most other states.

Cheers,
Nic

 

[gillsy]

Go figure, you can keep a salt water croc but not a mitchelli.

 

[NicG]

Just one of the glaring inconsistencies ...!

 

[BigWillieStyles]

yeah, I want some Varanus brevicauda and want to see if they will be included in the 2012 changes. Might be worth a phone call.

 

[NicG]

There is a specific form that you need to fill out. It's quite extensive and asks a lot of questions that I don't know the answer to - eg captive numbers in the other states. That's why I want to know if someone else has already gone to the trouble to do the research ...

 

[Varanus1]

NicG,

Determining the numbers of each species in other states is not particularly hard - just contact the relevant Wildlife service in each state and ask if they can send the info to you by email or phone call - I was able to get this information for panoptes quite easily.

Cheers,
Trent.

 

[NicG]

Thanks Trent,

I'll definitely do that if I have to. However, being the inherently lazy person that I am, I'm still hopeful that somebody else has already beaten me to the punch and put in a Mitchell's submission. Anyone ...?

 

[NicG]

Anyone?

 

[vadnappa]

yes i have already put in a proposed amendment from for v. mitchelli as well as brevi's and a few others, i lodged 17 forms. was a pain in the butt. the more people that put in forms the more likely they are to do something about it tho. however you have missed the cut off for the next meeting forms had to be in before the start of june, i did put up a thread about this but i dont think anyone actually did anything. shame as they could of just copied my forms and changed their name. still worth doing as like i said more people that do it the more seriously they will take it.

 

[NicG]

Thanks for the response, Vadnappa. When did you submit your forms? The reason I ask is that I've been in touch with Peter Comber of WPTAC, who told me only yesterday ...

"Short answer - currently nothing in for those species listed below, they would be nice additions."

(I also asked about Painted Turtles)

He also indicated that I should continue with the submission process, which suggests that the cut-off date is most likely the end of June, as I originally thought.

Cheers,
Nic

 

[vadnappa]

i think the meeting is at the end of June, but i was told that the forms needed to be submitted before then. i lodged the forms at the start of may with a member of the advisory board, so until the meeting, peter or any one else wouldn't have heard of what i had put up. i was told a couple of years ago by a guy in wagls that peter had rejected a couple of additions before they had got to them, mitchells, scalaris and brevi's. i havent asked him if that was the case tho. dse are pretty unorganized so wouldnt surprise me if someone had got their wires crossed.