APPLICATION FORM CONTAINMENT Application for containment approval for new organisms under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 Send by post to: Environmental Protection Authority, PO Box 131, Wellington 6140 OR email to: [email protected] Application number ERMA 200908 Applicant Auckland Zoological Park (on behalf of all New Zealand zoos) Private Bag, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1245 Key contact Ms Tineke Joustra www.epa.govt.nz 2 Application for containment approval for new organisms Important This application form should be used if you intend to import, develop or field test any new organism (including genetically modified organisms (GMOs)) in containment. These terms are defined in the HSNO Act. The HSNO Act can be downloaded from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1996/0030/latest/DLM381222.html. If your application is for a project approval of low-risk genetic modification, use application form EPA0062. The HSNO (Low Risk Genetic Modification) Regulations can be downloaded from: http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2003/0152/latest/DLM195215.html. Applications to field test GMOs will be publicly notified. The other application types may or may not be publicly notified. This application form will be made publicly available so any confidential information must be collated in a separate labelled appendix. The fee for this application can be found on our website at www.epa.govt.nz. If you need help to complete this form, please look at our website (www.epa.govt.nz) or email us at [email protected]. This form was approved on 21 September 2011. September 2011 EPA0061 3 Application for containment approval for new organisms 1. What type(s) of containment activities are you applying for? Tick where appropriate: Application type Type of new organism GM Import into containment √ Non-GM Develop in containment i.e. regeneration, fermentation or GM genetic modification Non-GM GM Field test in containment Non-GM 2. Brief application description Provide a short description (approximately 30 words) of what you are applying to do. To import komodo dragons, naked mole rats, plumed basilisks and bush dogs into containment to aid conservation and education through public display. 3. Summary of application Provide a plain English, non-technical description of what you are applying to do and why you want to do it. This application covers the following four species: Komodo Dragon Varanus komodoensis Plumed Basilisk Basiliscus plumifrons Bush Dog Speothos venaticus Naked Mole Rat Heterocephalus glaber Auckland Zoo wishes to import into containment specified species (Class: Mammalia and Reptilia) from outside of New Zealand for public display, conservation and education. Holding these species in a zoo will attract visitors to the zoo, who are then exposed to conservation messages. Zoo staff will benefit from the import through refining and developing existing known husbandry techniques for the species. For the Komodo Dragon in particular, captive husbandry techniques have changed and evolved significantly in the last 5 years as the understanding of their biological requirements grows. Although two of our current staff have extensive past experience in the management and breeding of Komodo Dragons it is acknowledged that there is still much to learn about the requirements of the captive management of this species with regards to their biology and characteristics. The four species fall under different categories in the IUCN Red List of species threatened with extinction. The species selected (due to availability from captive institutions from Australia, Europe and the UK) are listed as follows: Least Concern (Naked Mole Rat), Near Threatened (Bush Dog), Vulnerable (Komodo Dragon) or not listed (Plumed Basilisk). Therefore, for some of these species, the establishment of a captive population in the September 2011 EPA0061 4 Application for containment approval for new organisms Australasian region is a significant step towards the development of sustainable, cooperatively managed global zoo-captive populations. Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodoensis) and Bush Dogs (Speothos venaticus) are classified under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), as a result of the threat of illegal international trade in the species. CITES permits will be applied for as part of the import of these species. The other two species are not CITES listed. The species selected are extremely strong wildlife ambassadors and powerful vehicles for the delivery of the zoo‟s key conservation education messages. In addition, revenue generated through the public display of these animals will be used to support conservation initiatives for the species in the wild. The Auckland Zoo has a long record of using revenue to support conservation in the wild. With the establishment of its Conservation Fund (in 2001) significant financial support and technical expertise has been provided to conservation initiatives around the world. All species will be housed in containment facilities to prevent escape and facilities will be monitored by MAF Biosecurity officers. 4. Describe the background and aims of your application This section is intended to put the new organism(s) in perspective of the wider activities(s) that they will be used in. You may use more technical language but please make sure that any technical words used are included in a glossary. N/A 5. Information about the new organism(s) For non-GMOs: provide a taxonomic description of the new organism(s). For GMOs: provide a taxonomic description of the host organism(s) and describe the genetic modification (i.e. the experimental procedures and biological material to be used in the genetic modification and where the expression of foreign nucleic acid may occur). Describe the biology and main features of the organism including if it has inseparable organisms. Describe if the organism has affinities (e.g. close taxonomic relationships) with other organisms in New Zealand. Could the organism form an undesirable self-sustaining population? If not, why not? How easily could the new organism be recovered or eradicated if it established an undesirable self-sustaining population? Genus: Varanus Species komodoensis (Ouwens, 1912) (and strain if relevant): Common name(s): Komodo Dragon Type of organism: Animal; Reptile September 2011 EPA0061 5 Application for containment approval for new organisms Genus: Basiliscus Species plumifrons (Cope, 1876) (and strain if relevant): Common name(s): Plumed Basilisk, Green basilisk Type of organism: Animal; Reptile Genus: Speothos Species venaticus (Lund, 1842) (and strain if relevant): Common name(s): Bush Dog Type of organism: Animal; Mammal Genus: Heterocephalus Species glaber (Rüppell, 1842) (and strain if relevant): Common name(s): Naked Mole Rat Type of organism: Animal; Mammal Komodo Dragon: In the wild, an adult Komodo Dragon usually weighs around 70 kilograms, although captive specimens often weigh more. The Komodo Dragon has a tail as long as its body and about 60 frequently replaced serrated teeth that can measure up to 2.5 centimetres in length. It has a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue. There are no inseparable organisms, although see Section 9 for a discussion on oral bacteria. The closest affinity in regards to other species in New Zealand is at Order level (Order Squamata: lizards, snakes and worm lizards). New Zealand‟s climate is not conducive to the long term survival of this species in the wild as Komodo dragons are adapted to living on dry open grasslands, savannah and tropical forests in Indonesia on the islands Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami where the temperature rarely drops below 23oC. For Komodo dragons to establish a self-sustaining population in the wild, a male and female (though parthenogenesis (a form of asexual reproduction found in females of some species) has been reported on three September 2011 EPA0061 6 Application for containment approval for new organisms occasions) or a gravid female would have to escape, evade detection and recapture, and produce offspring. Due to the size of the Komodo Dragon it is highly unlikely that an escaped individual would be able to evade detection. Besides this, they require heat to provide energy to move. Even if an adult animal(s) were able to evade recapture, it is highly unlikely they would be able to find suitable conditions to reproduce. The known incubation conditions for successful hatching of eggs could not be achieved in New Zealand‟s climate as eggs require constant 24hr incubation temperatures of 28-30°C for 250-270 days. In the incredibly unlikely event that these incubation requirements were met, any offspring emerging would then need a 24 hour ambient temperature of between 25 and 45°C in order to survive. Figure 1: Komodo Dragon Plumed Basilisk: Plumed/ Green basilisks are bright green with small bluish spots along the dorsal ridge. These lizards grow up to 1m in length (most of which is tail), with an average length of about 0.6m. Males have three crests: one on the head, one on their back, and one on the tail. The females, however, only have one crest (on the head). Green basilisks are omnivorous and eat insects, small mammals (such as rodents), smaller species of lizards, fruits and flowers. Their predators include birds of prey, opossums and snakes. The females of this species lay five to fifteen eggs at a time in warm, damp sand or soil. The eggs hatch after eight to ten weeks, at which point the young emerge as fully independent lizards. There is no presence of inseparable organisms. The closest affinity in regards to other species in New Zealand is at Order level (Order Squamata: lizards, snakes and worm lizards). New Zealand‟s climate is not conducive to the long term survival of this species in the wild as Plumed/ Green Basilisk are found in humid, tropical environments in Central America where the temperature rarely drops below 21OC.