Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Final Report - Animals in the Wild Sector Review of Existing Animal Welfare Arrangements

Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Final report - Animals in the Wild Sector Review of Existing Animal Welfare Arrangements AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL WELFARE STRATEGY FINAL REPORT ANIMALS IN THE WILD SECTOR ANIMAL WELFARE ARRANGEMENTS Lyndy Scott Page 0 Final Report Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Final report - Animals in the Wild Sector Review of Existing Animal Welfare Arrangements Index Page Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Definition of ‘animals in the wild’ 4 Priorities 4 Value Statement 5 Progress against Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Tasks 9 Conclusion 33 Appendix 1 Acronyms used in the report 34 Appendix 2 Wild Animals Working Group members 36 Appendix 3 Some thoughts on sentience 38 Appendix 4 Task 3 – review committee structures, functions and 41 membership at national, State/Territory and local government levels Appendix 5a-e Task 6 - explore animal welfare performance measures 59 not covered by Animal Health Australia Appendix 6a-q Task 9 - consultancy to review current Australian 96 legislation, produce a needs analysis report Appendix 7a Task 12 – review/collate websites promoting animal 163 welfare legislation, codes, etc Appendix 7b Task 12 – review/collate extension work promoting 208 animal welfare legislation, codes, etc Appendix 8a,b Task 16 – research/monitor community attitudes to, 209 and behaviours about, animals in the wild Appendix 9 Task 29 – review current literature, operating procedures 214 and guidlelines for care of captive and non-captive Australian wildlife Appendix 10a,b Tasks 31 and 32 - review practices/procedures for 216 humane control of pest animals and develop national standard operating procedures Appendix 11 Task 33 - review APVMA processes regarding animal 221 welfare assessment for new/existing control techniques Appendix 12 Task 34c - outline inconsistencies in Australian 223 legislation Appendix 13 Task 54 - review existing/proposed training and quality 229 assurance programs for animal care and welfare content Appendix 15 Task 67 - review national/international animal welfare 235 websites and promote dialogue through the AAWS communication strategy Lyndy Scott Page 1 Final Report Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Final report - Animals in the Wild Sector Review of Existing Animal Welfare Arrangements Executive Summary The working group members are highly skilled in the animals in the wild sector and have excellent linkages to other sectors and wider networks. They willingly committed to compiling the inventory of existing animal welfare arrangements as a first step in progressing the welfare of all animals in the wild. The available inventory was documented in the 15 May 2006 draft report, was considered by the working group and identified gaps were addressed, as far as possible, for this final report. Initial working group tasks were to define the sector, identify its priorities and develop a value statement. Priorities, not in order, for the animals in the wild sector are: 1. To encourage all Australians to be aware of, and have commitment to, the welfare of animals in the wild 2. To consider the best possible outcomes for wild animals in ten, twenty and more years and plan to achieve those goals 3. To ensure the welfare of animals in the wild is core business of the Primary Industries Ministerial Council and the Council of Australian Governments 4. To ensure that legislative inconsistencies between jurisdictions are removed 5. The establishment of nationally accepted and enforceable Codes of Practice and Standard Operating Procedures for the humane and feasible control of: vertebrate pest* animals overabundant native** animal species native animals, both within and affected by, programs relating to the rehabilitation, relocation and reintroduction to the wild of native species 6. The establishment of policies which reinforce community understanding and responsibility through compliance, education and enforcement 7. To ensure there is secure, ongoing research and development that enhances welfare for animals in the wild, including innovation in tools, techniques and delivery of practical management and control measures 8. To support sustainable land use planning and management that accommodates the needs of wildlife and addresses wild animal welfare 9. To identify and develop responses to future threats, for example global warming and continuing urban development 10. To develop contingency planning for episodic events and creeping disasters such as floods and droughts 11. To ensure wildlife tourism and similar ventures promote wild animal welfare. Four major risks, again not in order, have been identified for the animals in the wild sector and the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy: Major risk 1: currently there are no nationally supported or agreed Codes of Practice for vertebrate pest animal control. The community would expect that these are already in place. Work is underway in this area however, until completed, the risk remains *Pest – an animal that causes significant damage to a valued resource. The pest status of an animal can change with time, between areas or according to perception. Native animals such as kangaroos and possums can be pests in some situations **Native – an animal that is indigenous to Australia Lyndy Scott Page 2 Final Report Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Final report - Animals in the Wild Sector Review of Existing Animal Welfare Arrangements Major risk 2: lack of continuing, dedicated resources and expertise to undertake basic and applied research and to implement programs for animals in the wild Major risk 3: there is general public ignorance and/or apathy regarding the welfare of animals in the wild. This could continue if the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy is not presented in a manner that is readily understood and accepted by its audiences Major risk 4: Australian jurisdictions often act independently and could resist a perceived ‗national takeover‘ of their roles by the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy. Other important considerations for the animals in the wild sector are: As a unifying concept, all measures must be humane and consider the animal‘s welfare. This requires consistent cross agency, industry and public support The need to have quantifiable, positive and long term outcomes, especially regarding the extent and suitability of habitats for native animal populations The need to engage high level support and prioritise funding to research and remedy major gaps in the information available for this sector Three is a lack of standards and performance measures for protecting the welfare of animals in the wild, including the effects of reintroductions and translocations of native animals and the effects of feeding wildlife To encourage an increasingly more humane and sustainable relationship of indigenous people with wild animals. Opportunities exist for co-management of wild animal resources and activities The need to identify and engage all of the numerous stakeholders in this sector The need to engage community support and provide ready access to information on the management of native and pest animals. The information must use consistent, non-bureaucratic words in plain English and other languages The need to effectively deal with community perceptions of wild animal interventions that can have adverse implications for necessary management and control measures Some tasks (for example relevant websites) have been found to be difficult and repetitive across a number of tasks, both within and across sectors. Consultancies are required to address the quantity and quality of information. Sectoral groups will require ongoing collaboration to achieve meaningful outcomes. As was expected from diverse and committed people, the Wild Animals Working Group debated many issues. Consequently, views expressed in this report may not have the unanimous support of the members, however their intent does. The Wild Animals Working Group is privileged to have been part of the vanguard Australian Animal Welfare Strategy. Members welcomed the opportunity to shape its outcomes for the benefit of all animals, in particular those in the wild. Lyndy Scott Page 3 Final Report Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Final report - Animals in the Wild Sector Review of Existing Animal Welfare Arrangements Introduction The Wild Animals Working Group (WAWG, see Appendix 2) has a broad range of expertise in animal welfare, research and production, in biological sciences, education, management, invasive animal species and pest control. The group is well qualified to advise and work within the animals in the wild sector of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS). WAWG cooperatively delivered a substantial inventory of animal welfare arrangements relating to this sector. The inventory is contained in the progress against tasks section of the report and in the attached appendices. WAWG considered and added to the draft to finalise this report, delivered on 21 June 2006. An initial WAWG task was to define what constitutes animals in the wild, then identify the priorities for the sector and develop a value statement. Definition ‗Animals in the wild‘ for the purpose of AAWS are wild animals that are: air breathing vertebrates not dependent on humans for their survival. Wild animals include whales, dolphins, dugongs, seals and sea lions, sea turtles, all terrestrial mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians. They therefore include pest as well as native Australian species. Priorities 1. To recognise that the welfare of animals in the wild cannot be considered

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