Chris Sanderson wrote:
This issue was raised on ABC radio about 2 weeks ago and a comment from
one naturalist was simple - "can't these people find enough cuddly furry pets
from what is currently available without the need to bring ferrets into the state".
And it wouldn't be the first time people have said a species wouldn't
do something it has done. Twenty years ago people said the Cane Toad
would never make it down south, and now it's almost at the Murray
catchement. Why take a risk when people are already allowed to own
cats, dogs, rats, and introduced birds.
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I'm the new manager for a project to eradicate red-eared slider turtles
(an American species), an animal brought into Australia by reptile
fanciers. Notice that I said reptile fanciers, and not herpetologists.
Several things have been said in the past about this animal. "It can't
establish here"; "it can't hurt anything" and "what about the lost
income to people who might want to sell them?"
I've just helped a team pull 140 sliders out of five small farm dams
(where they "shouldn't be able to establish"). Some of these were new
hatchlings, and others were animals carrying eggs. In these dams, which
are suitable as habitat for native turtles and native fish, we found no
native turtles and no native fish (even though the sliders "arent
supposed to hurt anything") and removing these animals is very expensive
and time consuming (It looks as if the cost of removing these animals
will end up being considerably more than what might be earned selling
them as pets). AQIS report that people still try to bring these animals
into Australia, and I know that there are those who think we should
allow people to keep them as pets.
Bringing new organisms into Australia, especially then there is no
pressing need, is an unecessary risk. History shows that the risks are
not always easy to predict, which is why we have to do such exhaustive
testing and studying of potential biocontrol agents before even
considering them for importation.
Keeping animals like sliders or ferrets is really a whim- its not a
'need'. Bringing in new animals like ferrets and sliders is a risky
experiment underwritten by the taxpayer, because that is who will end
up paying to deal with any problems if they arise.
Its incredible that we should assent to something with unknown, but
potentially serious risks, simply to satisfy a whim.
Scott O'Keeffe
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