Managing non-releasable animals following rehabilitation: the current management framework in New South Wales, recent trends and a stakeholder consultative review

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-73
Author(s):  
Matthew Mo ◽  
Robert Oliver

Although the ultimate goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to return animals to the wild, some are permanently unable to be released. Some non-releasable animals may be suitable for permanent care. The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has the statutory role for arranging the appropriate placement of these animals in New South Wales. Under the current management framework, wildlife rehabilitators may apply for the permanent care of non-releasable animals under certain circumstances. If such an application is refused or not sought, NPWS ballots animals to suitable zoological parks and other exhibitors licensed by the Department of Primary Industries. The Frog and Tadpole Study Group rehomes non-releasable frogs with amphibian keepers licensed by NPWS. Between 2014 and 2018, 165 rehabilitation animals were placed under this framework, the majority of which were mammals (54%) and birds (41%). NPWS undertook a review of the framework in consultation with 17 stakeholder organisations. The review explored the need for a consistent approach to assessing animals as non-releasable, opposing views on when animals should be euthanased, the appropriateness of placing wild-born animals with exhibitors, and policy deficiencies resulting in placements that are not necessarily the best possible welfare outcome for the animal nor the best possible conservation outcome for the species. As non-releasable animals present themselves under a wide range of circumstances, the management framework requires a balance between consistency and pragmatism to achieve optimal animal welfare and conservation outcomes.

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 548-564
Author(s):  
Matthew Mo ◽  
Robert Oliver

Native mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs kept as pets become displaced after they are unwanted, escaped or seized. The Office of Environment and Heritage manages the rehoming of displaced native animal pets, which are regulated under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 in New South Wales. Primarily, animals are balloted to licensed animal keepers and exhibitors. Otherwise, rehoming may be delegated to third party organisations, and pet shops licensed to sell reptiles are obligated to accept back returned reptiles for resale. From 2014 to 2017, at least 1,000 native animal pets were rehomed in New South Wales, the majority of which were reptiles. During this period, there was a significant increase in annual numbers of displaced native animal pets related to a recent increase in displaced reptiles. The majority of cases occurred within the Greater Sydney region. The trends presented in this paper had important implications for a review of the current management framework in light of the increasing volumes. Initial stakeholder consultations have supported the notion of a community education program with an emphasis on responsible pet ownership.


2002 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.L Pressey ◽  
G.L Whish ◽  
T.W Barrett ◽  
M.E Watts

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrick Stone

For the first time in a single volume, this book brings together more than 140 of the best walks, tracks or trails in New South Wales, which can be walked by the moderately fit individual. They are located in national parks, coastal parks, state forests, conservation reserves, historic parks and local government and public easements. Other routes follow state highways, minor roads, coastal cliffs, old gold routes, or pass bushranger haunts and back roads linking towns and historical features. Most routes do not require specialist navigation or bushcraft skills, and vary in length from a 45-minute stroll to a 4-day, 65-kilometre camping trip. Walks, Tracks and Trails of New South Wales highlights the best the state has to offer, from an outback ghost town and ancient lake beds, to Australia’s highest mountain, coastal environments and World Heritage rainforests. Easy-to-interpret maps are included to help you navigate, and the book’s size makes it convenient to bring with you on your adventures.


1963 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Colwell

The effects of the different sowing rates of 20, 40, and 60 lb of seed an acre on the yield, bushel weight, composition, and response to fertilizers, of wheat grown on soils of high fertility has been studied in seven field experiments in the wheat-belt of southern New South Wales. Seasonal conditions ranged from drought to lush growing conditions and in addition one experiment was irrigated to reduce the effects of moisture stress on plant growth. Yields ranged from 10 to 70 bushels of wheat an acre and fertilizer treatments gave both positive and negative effects. For the wide range of growth conditions, variation in seeding rate had only small and non-significant effects on grain yields, with the exception of the irrigated experiment where a consistent trend indicated the need for higher seeding rates for maximum yield. Effects of the seeding rates on grain size and composition and fertilizer response, were negligible. Losses in potential grain yield, caused by the exhaustion of soil moisture reserves by excessive vegetative growth of high fertility soils before grain development has been completed, does not seem to be reduced appreciably by the use of low seeding rates.


1986 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
M.D Young ◽  
R.J Delforce

Sixty licensed kangaroo shooters were interviewed in New South Wales to determine their social characteristics, incomes and shooting preferences. Two groups of shooters were identified: those who take kangaroos only for immediate, maximum short term economic gain and those who attempt to husband local kangaroo populations to their long term benefit. Amongst the latter group there is both a lack of agreement and a general uncertainty about the optimal shooting strategy to achieve the long term economic benefits they desire. New directions in research and extension are suggested with a view to rectifying this dilemma. Data on the strategies used to take kangaroos for commercial purposes and the accuracy of certam information reported to the National Parks and Wildlife Service are also described.


1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Charles Wescott

Australia possesses a distinctive national parks and conservation reserves system, in which it is the State Governments rather than the Federal Government which owns, plans, and manages, national parks and other conservation reserves.Most Australian States declared their first national parks in the latter quarter of last century, Australia's first national park being declared in New South Wales in March 1879. These critical declarations were followed by a slow accumulation of parks and reserves through to 1968. The pace of acquisition then quickened dramatically with an eight-fold expansion in the total area of national parks between 1968 and 1990, at an average rate of over 750,000 ha per annum. The present Australian system contains 530 national parks covering 20.18 million hectares or 2.6% of the land-mass. A further 28.3 million hectares is protected in other parks and conservation reserves. In terms of the percentage of their land-mass now in national parks, the leading States are Tasmania (12.8%) and Victoria (10.0%), with Western Australia (1.9%) and Queensland (2.1%) trailing far behind, and New South Wales (3.92%) and South Australia (3.1%) lying between.The Australian system is also compared with the Canadian and USA systems. All three are countries of widely comparable cultures that have national parks covering similar percentage areas, but Canada and the USA have far fewer national parks than Australia and they are in general of much greater size. In addition, Canada and the USA ‘resource’ these parks far better than the Australians do theirs. The paper concludes that Australia needs to rationalize its current system by introducing direct funding, by the Federal Government, of national park management, and duly examining the whole system of reserves from a national rather than States' viewpoint.


1995 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
KH Kreeb ◽  
RDB Whalley ◽  
JL Charley

The characteristics of the soil, vegetation and groundwater at a dryland salinity site on Miramoona, a property near Walcha on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, were investigated. Soil parameters measured at 23 points along a 200 m transect were highly correlated with the pattern of vegetation. Of overriding significance was soil pH, which varied from a high of over 10 on bare areas delineated by Critesion marinum and Cynodon dactylon to a low of less than 5 on grazing land supporting the growth of a wide range of pasture species. The bare areas were characterized by alkalinity. While they were sodic at all depths measured, they were only marginally saline and then only at the soil surface. The chemical composition of the groundwater collected from three piezometer tubes varied quite markedly over the site. It is hypothesized that the presence of alkaline bare areas on the Northern Tablelands is not a new problem, but rather the natural result of alternating wet and dry periods which have induced accumulation of carbonates and bicarbonates of the alkali cations, notably sodium. Drainage of the original perched swamps by the early landholders, tree clearing and the grazing of domestic livestock would have accelerated the process since European settlement. However, tree planting would appear unlikely to have any impact on the reclamation process in the short term. A more viable option would be the recreation of the original swamps in suitable situations, although this solution would create problems for grazing management.


1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 359 ◽  
Author(s):  
RP Kavanagh ◽  
S Debus ◽  
T Tweedie ◽  
R Webster

A regional survey of the forests in north-eastern New South Wales recorded eight species of nocturnal forest birds and nine species of arboreal marsupials from 291 sites. Three major environmental gradients accounting for the distribution of these species in north-eastern New South Wales were identified: elevation, forest type (wet forest types having a dense mesic understorey or dry forest types having an open or sparse understorey), and logging intensity. Characteristic assemblages of species were associated with each end of these three gradients. A core group of species occurred across a wide range of environmental conditions, including logged and unlogged forest. Most species occurred with similar frequency in logged and unlogged forest. Implications for forest management are discussed.


1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 535 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Green

The behaviour of avian visitors to 23 species of subtropical Australian rain forest plants was observed in the Lamington and Border Ranges National Parks on the Queensland/New South Wales border to determine potentially important seed dispersers, seed predators and fruit thieves.


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