Greetings. Plenty of birders are concerned at the proposal to permit
the importation of Savannah Cats into Australia because of their
potential impacts on wildlife. Today, 17 July, is the last day to
provide comments on the proposal. The DEWHA draft assessment has
concluded that:
The preliminary risk assessment indicates, by assessing
both a climate match of the Domestic Cat and Serval together, that the
Savannah Cat poses a moderately dangerous risk to public safety (both
captive and released individuals); an extreme pest risk, and that the
Savannah Cat would have an extreme establishment risk. The
establishment risk is particularly relevant given that feral Domestic
Cats have rapidly and widely established across much of the Australian
continent.
Details at
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/invitecomment/savannah-cat.html
including the following:
Draft environmental assessment of the suitability of the
import of the Savannah Cat (Domestic Cat x Serval hybrid specimens)
into Australia
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 19 June
2008
PDF file
* Draft environmental assessment of the suitability of the import
of the Savannah Cat (Domestic Cat x Serval hybrid specimens) into
Australia (PDF - 265 KB)
Comments invited
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts has formulated
a proposal under Part 13A of the Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) to amend the List of
Specimens taken to be Suitable for Live Import (live import list).
A draft assessment report has been prepared by the Department of the
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) against the terms of
reference approved by the Minister. The draft report assesses the
suitability of import of the Savannah Cat into Australia.
Comments are invited on the draft report. It is available for public
comment for 20 business days, closing on 17 July 2008. Comments
received and any relevant additional information provided will be
considered by DEWHA in finalising the assessment report.
Submissions should be in writing and sent to
Director
Exotic Species Regulation Section
Wildlife Branch
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601
or to
m("environment.gov.au","WSM.Mail");">
David
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