# Native animals as pets deter smugglers



## RoryBreaker (Jun 13, 2019)

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019...s-pets-deter-smugglers-says-academic/11205524


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## cris (Jun 13, 2019)

A bit of truth sprinkling. However the increased legalization and deregulation of keeping, use and harvesting of native animals is far better than the current nonsense. Farmers are now allowed to use the roos they shoot in NSW, but in Qld people are still supposed to pay to get a permit AND tags (apart from one person in the Gov department, I have never heard of anyone doing it).


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## nuttylizardguy (Jun 14, 2019)

While ever people in places like the USA are prepared to pay $800 or more for a standard eastern bluetongue skink (who is not even a rare morph) , and while ever people are greedy for fast money , native animal smuggling will never stop.

What's needed is heavier penalties on the animal smugglers and animal traffickers including going as far as taking all their assets off them and very long prison terms.

I do however agree with idea of making it easier for people to keep an native animal as a companion pet.
When I was a kid we had a pet wallaby (a road accident orphan) who was a great pet , and we also had a pet magpie who was found with a broken wing who thought it as a person and loved following my mum about and sitting on her lap.

There are plenty of native animals who can become great pets , some who are endangered, so if people were allowed to keep some of these as pet and allow them to breed , surely this is one way of protecting the species from extinction.


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