Tasmania exotic animal ban

[Chlidonias]

Zookeepers rail against exotic ban - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Zookeepers in Tasmania are urging the State Government to lift a ban on exotic animal imports.

They say the government promised in 2009 the ban would only last six months, but a new report recommends it remain pending a risk assessment for every species and new regulations.

Trevor Cuttriss from Zoodoo said keepers need to import animals for new attractions, breeding programs and to replace those that die.

"In every capital city in Australia there is a zoo with, as an example zebras," Mr Cuttriss said.

"My argument is why can't we be like the rest of Australia? We're not an overseas country? It's just grossly unfair."

Mr Cuttriss said the ban was crippling his business and he had already begun to lay off staff.

"I did employ 26 - I'm now down to 22 I'll just cut more staff back until we get things underway," he said.

"I'm all for improvements, I've got animals overseas form different countries waiting to come in. I just can't have nothing."

"I can't even get a Koala, I've only in the past 10 days or so had a permit received for a koala, I've been waiting six months or more for this koala."

The Primary Industries Department said it hoped to have new regulations ready by the end of April.

there's a news video on the link too.

 

[Arizona Docent]

I could understand banning potentially hazardous small animals that if escaped could cause a catastrophe to island ecosystems. The brown snakes in Guam are a good example. But banning zebras and other large mammals just seems absurd.

 

[Chlidonias]

Exactly. As a NZer I can totally understand biosecurity issues with regards to animal importation, and with smaller animals there's a certain environmental risk to Tasmania. In the case of large mammals it is pretty much (ostensibly) to protect the farming industry. However, the animals the zoos want to bring in are coming from Australia -- they've already been through quarantine etc otherwise they wouldn't be in the country in the first place! Banning something like zebras from Tasmania when they're coming from Taronga (as an example) just seems plain stupid.

 

[CGSwans]

Subtext: the Tasmanian Greens won the balance of power in the Tasmanian parliament at the last election in March last year. My guess is that they're the ones that are pushing for a state-based risk assessment program, and with no more than 50 or so jobs at zoos interested in keeping exotic animals in the state, it's a fairly easy one for the government to give way on.

My advice to Mr Cuttriss would be to get used to playing the state bureaucracy game, because I can't see this one changing any time soon. Hung parliaments are, in fact, the likely outcome of Tasmanian elections for the foreseeable future.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Like Steve R. said on another thread the animal welfarist diatribe is closer to Australia's/NZ biosecurity issues than comfort would have you believe. Plain stupid in my opinion ... is the secret wording here ..