Are our state wildlife authorities relevant?

[longqi]

What most pet reptile owners dont seem to understand is the other things wildlife departments do that are really far more important than the problems they give to a fairly small minority, [reptile keepers]
While I disagree with a lot of the bureaucracy I believe some form of licensing MUST be kept in place
Europe USA Asia = no licensing and a bloody mess
One of the biggest problems with getting changes is that with the huge growth in reptile keeper numbers, licencing has become a pretty big cash cow for each state department
They wont want to give that up in a hurry
NT system is very fair, easy to navigate and police, and leaves the authorities time to try and address the more important issues such as conservation

Reptiles owners dont do themselves any favours either
How many threads are there "Help My snake escaped??"
Any WA orTassie politician reading that is never going to let pythons in etc etc

 

[Pythoninfinite]

NT actually has by far the best laws etc
Everything is extremely simple
If you live near Palmerston anything can be completed in a couple of hours
Only thing that slows anything down is getting permission from other states to import export

That is the system you should try to emulate
Much more in line with other pets rather than singling out reptiles for special biases

I agree longqi, the NT authority is by far the most pragmatic in terms of the way they allow species into the system, and in other ways as well. Probably followed by Qld, SA and the NSW. Having spent much of my life in WA, and also having dealt with CALM (now DEC) during the development of the keeping system over there, I know how seriously these guys take their almost pointless jobs. If you go into the bush and turn over a rock, find, catch & keep a lizard or a snake, you cop the full force of the law... but if you dig up thousands of hectares of dirt and totally destroy the habitat and all that lives in it, you just get rich and everyone kisses your backside... ******* the wildlife when there's money to be made and cash pouring into state coffers.

Hypocrisy? No one calls me cynical !

Jamie

 

[longqi]

I agree longqi, the NT authority is by far the most pragmatic in terms of the way they allow species into the system, and in other ways as well. Probably followed by Qld, SA and the NSW. Having spent much of my life in WA, and also having dealt with CALM (now DEC) during the development of the keeping system over there, I know how seriously these guys take their almost pointless jobs. If you go into the bush and turn over a rock, find, catch & keep a lizard or a snake, you cop the full force of the law... but if you dig up thousands of hectares of dirt and totally destroy the habitat and all that lives in it, you just get rich and everyone kisses your backside... ******* the wildlife when there's money to be made and cash pouring into state coffers.

Hypocrisy? No one calls me cynical !

Jamie

A few years ago I talked with some rangers from the Pilbara area
EIS had been done stating Mining WILL endanger xxx
Therefore mining was blocked HOORAY say rangers [who really do love our critters]
Next thing another EIS is done
Mining MAY endanger xxx
Department of Primary Industry over ruled the ban and mining started
$$$$$$$

 

[D3pro]

I have trouble understanding why the reptiles in Australian collections are regarded as protected wildlife. They hold no conservation value and will never be returned to the wild (it has already been mentioned the disease threat any reptile from a private collection can be if released in the wild). Not to mention that the paper system does nothing to protect reptiles in the wild from poaching.

All it is, is a pain in the backside. Great thread

 

[dottyback]

I agree. Our (Qld) system is the leader. The registration, etc., process is easy, inexpensive no nonsense with import / export permits, annual returns and such. That must be said.
There are still areas in need of improvement, such as sales of reptiles at expos, revision of the commercial / standard and restricted reptile categories and electronic submission of Movement Advices.
But overall, it's pretty good in the sunshine state. I just hope that the rest of the states and territories won't pull Qld backwards in whatever they decide to implement on the national level. That would be a shame.

Maybe when it comes to reptiles but that same license system is backwards when it comes to mammals and birds.

 

[cement]

I have trouble understanding why the reptiles in Australian collections are regarded as protected wildlife. They hold no conservation value and will never be returned to the wild (it has already been mentioned the disease threat any reptile from a private collection can be if released in the wild). Not to mention that the paper system does nothing to protect reptiles in the wild from poaching.

All it is, is a pain in the backside. Great thread

Its a good thread with some important issues,
Just for those who claim that our captives will NEVER return to the wild, why is it that snake catchers quite often pick up out of area escapee pythons? Sure the great majority won't, but some do. This cannot be overlooked or waved off as never occurring.

We have to give co-ordinates for released wild caught animals for a NPWS 'atlas' of native animals. tell me what good is that? The renewal of our licence came with some new major changes. The only real difference to the old conditions was a hell of a lot more work for us for no benefit. (Not talking typical keeper lic)

 

[browny]

to throw things a little more is something my brain keeps tripping on, the constant reference to 'wildlife'

at what point/generation do reptiles (and all other animals for that matter) no longer classify as 'wild/wildlife' and if that does infact occur why do they still get treated the same. I have a hard time getting past the wild terminology.

 

[Waterrat]

I guess as long there is a flow of wild caught (legally) reptiles from WA and NT into the hobby, the authorities can and will hold their ground and regard captive bred along with the WC ones as "wildlife".

 

[browny]

plus I guess already a huge mess to try and sort out as it is so 'everything is in the one basket' as it were

 

[Mr.James]

NSW licencing..

 

[-Peter]

Unfortunately this is written with the perspective that Animal keeper licensing is the primary concern of the these Departments. Lets face it, its not even a secondary concern and perhaps not even third string.
Its probably viewed more as an inconvenience than anything else and as such gets the funding and staffing associated with such inconveniences. As little as possible. The obvious tactic then is for that section to highlight itself occasionally with bust here and there when questions of their validility are raised. Extra funding only seems to come when new regulations or investigatory powers are deemed necessary. Both alluded to a possible income stream. If raised purely as an animal welfare issue then funding only seems to be supplied to bring such things to a Greenpaper level then the prime movers are reassigned.