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Nativesaspets

This article discusses a biologist's proposal to expand the list of native Australian mammals that can be legally kept as pets in New South Wales. Currently, only two species are allowed. The biologist argues that allowing more species could help educate the public and protect vulnerable species. However, some oppose expanding the list, arguing it could lead to overpopulation and illegal trapping from the wild. The biologist believes expansion could work if strictly regulated through licensed breeders.

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38 views1 page

Nativesaspets

This article discusses a biologist's proposal to expand the list of native Australian mammals that can be legally kept as pets in New South Wales. Currently, only two species are allowed. The biologist argues that allowing more species could help educate the public and protect vulnerable species. However, some oppose expanding the list, arguing it could lead to overpopulation and illegal trapping from the wild. The biologist believes expansion could work if strictly regulated through licensed breeders.

Uploaded by

lfarrow
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Inside the Wildlife conservation may begin at home

Village Voice
By Lauren Farrow
Possums and wombats could soon
replace the domestic cat and dog in
General News ....................... 3 eastern suburb homes, if calls for
the State Government to allow more
Council election special ......... 4 native animals as pets are met.
Woollahra resident and promi-
nent biologist Professor Christopher
Newsmaker .......................... 9 Dickman has urged the State
Government to extend their mam-
Village Life ........................ 12 mal licensing list, which lets people
keep native animals as pets.
Currently, under the National
Arts ................................... 18 Parks and Wildlife Act, NSW resi-
dents can only keep two mammals:
Well Read .......................... 21 the spinifex hopping-mouse and the
plains rat. South Australians have a
broad list of 25 mammals, which
Paw Prints ......................... 22 includes the ringtail possum, the Ringtail possums can be kept as pets in South Australia but not in NSW.
squirrel glider, the red kangaroo and Biologist Christopher Dickman is urging the NSW Government to allow
Dining ................................ 24 the swamp wallaby. a broader number of native mammals to be kept as pets to help protect
Professor Dickman, who last vulnerable species (Photo Craig Wilson).
month became the first Australian to
Entertainment .................... 25 win the prestigious C. Hart Merriam sense” that small species like sugar keepers in NSW who are supposed
Award for his work in mammalogy, gliders, which were easy to main- to put written reports in every year.
Classifieds .......................... 26 said extending this list would boost tain and were owned by more “There is a 30 per cent compli-
the public’s knowledge of native than 50,000 people in Canada and ance rate. Who has got the will or
wildlife and protect species vulner- America, were not on the NSW list. resources to police that?”
Kids ................................... 29 able due to urbanisation and preda- But Stan Wood, chair of the board Adding species to the list could
tion by domestic animals. at Wildlife Information Rescue and also increase the occurence of ille-
Sporting Life...................... 30 “When someone says people are Education Service (WIRES), said gal trapping of native animals, Mr
clearing 100 hectares, it is quite ab- adding animals to the list would Wood said.
stract. You just think it is a bit of only create more problems for na- But Professor Dickman said if the
scraggly scrub, it doesn’t stir up any tive wildlife. license list were extended, it could
emotions,” Professor Dickman said. “The RSPCA euthanises 1000s of be done with strict regulations.
“But if you know what a sugar animals each year. Why would we “We would have to only have a
glider is, you would start to ques- want to subject our native animals small number of breeders, which
tion why we are taking all this bush to the same abandonment?” Mr are licensed, so there is no raid-
away,” he said. Wood said. ing of natural habitats,” Professor
“If people get to know and appre- The current licensing system in Dickman.
ciate what we have, they might be a relation to reptiles and birds in NSW “People would also need to get
No one will hear you if you little more concerned about what also showed that policing of licenses training on the animal’s biology, on
don’t use your voice we are doing to our environment.” was inadequate, he said. their space, food and social require-
Prof Dickman said it made “no “There are 18,000 licenced reptile ments, and how to care for them.”

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