Exotics

[Hickson]

It has been shown in the international trade arena that any legalised international trade in a commodity increases the illegal trade in that same commodity. If the Australian Government allowed the export of native reptiles, what makes you think it would only be breeder's exporting one or two snakes to other breeders in the USA? What's to stop one of the petshops we here the Melbournites complaining about from acquiring 40 Jungles and shipping them to an animal dealer in Germany? If the petshop can't keep one or two animals healthy, how do you think they will package and send their exports?

What if the shipment gets offloaded for 24 hrs in Bangkok? It may be left on the tarmac (in the sun) for 4 or 5 hours before being loaded onto another flight.

What scares me is where they would get the animals from. If they get an order for 30 diamond pythons, and they can only source 20, where do you think they would get the other 10. The wild, perhaps?

I know people will say I'm painting the worst scenario picture, and that not everyone behaves like that, but the fact is some people/businesses do behave like that and the picture I've painted is not an unrealistic one.



Hix

 

[moosenoose]

1) NPWS can't hold an amnesty.

You know me Hixy and you know this next paragraph isn't designed as a sniping nasty thing

But.... they've done the amnesty thing here before, definately throughout Victoria, and I know of someone with a male and female Boa who has been able to keep them legally, under one of those rare and unobtainable "international" licenses they dished out I know the DSE and NPWS have to deter people bringing more and more into the country, but to discourage Australian bred and raised exotics really doesn't hold any water for me (I guess I'm a going against the grain kind of guy :lol

 

[Hickson]

What you're refering to is amnesties held in the 90's by the State Authorities. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was gazetted in 1999 and is a federal Act that bans exotics. Because it is federal, it supercedes any state laws. The last amnesty in 2004 was a legal requirement of making an amendment to the act whereby they incorporated a "reverse onus of proof" clause. It was run by DEH in Canberra through the state authorities.



Hix

 

[moosenoose]

What you're refering to is amnesties held in the 90's by the State Authorities. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was gazetted in 1999 and is a federal Act that bans exotics. Because it is federal, it supercedes any state laws. The last amnesty in 2004 was a legal requirement of making an amendment to the act whereby they incorporated a "reverse onus of proof" clause. It was run by DEH in Canberra through the state authorities.



Hix

Ahh cheers Hixy Whilst I knew it happened, I wasn't aware of the legalities of it. Cheers!

 

[ldheav]

I read in my local paper
A guy smuggled a American snapping turtle into Australia using a box holding christmas gifts


He got busted Lol

 

[junglepython2]

Anything happen to him?

 

[cris]

I read in my local paper
A guy smuggled a American snapping turtle into Australia using a box holding christmas gifts


He got busted Lol

I guess it would be better than strapping it to the inside of you leg with its head facing up, like some idiot did with bluetounges(maybe stumpys?) that was ages ago though and those guys have amazing jaw pressure :shock: :lol:

 

[Hickson]

And that's not as stupid as strapping four woollen bags made out of socks to your thighs, putting in them 4 Emerald Tree Boas and 4 King Cobras, then getiing on a long flight from Europe to Australia .......



Hix

 

[Retic]

The recent 'amnesty' in Victoria achieved next to nothing because of the restrictions placed on anyone coming forward. I actually sat in on some of the discussion with NPWS and it was fairly obvious they were merely going through the motions for appearances. They fully realised the scale of the problem in Victoria and their answer was to introduce this 'amnesty' but it wasn't in fact an amnesty because they could accept or reject applications, the result was that only a handful of people came forward because of the fear of losing their animals. I have a couple of friends down there with legal exotic animals but once they came forward they were left in limbo for months at a time waiting to hear if they would actually be successful.
In the end it was a PR exercise that accomplished nothing.

 

[JandC_Reptiles]

Exotics rule!
No need to pay an anual fee for licensing

 

[Retic]

Good point.