Australian Native Mammals as Pets A feasibility study into conservation, welfare and industry aspects Pub. No. 10/072 RIRDCInnovation for rural Australia Australian Native Mammals as Pets A feasibility study into conservation, welfare and industry aspects By Rosie Cooney, Rosalie Chapple, Sarah Doornbos and Stephen Jackson Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales October 2010 RIRDC Publication No 10/ 072 RIRDC Project No. PRJ-004398 © 2010 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-1-74254-043-6 ISSN 1440-6845 Australian Native Animals as Pets – A feasibility study into conservation, welfare and industry aspects Publication No. 10/072 Project No. PRJ-004398 The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. 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Researcher Contact Details Dr Rosalie Chapple Dr Rosie Cooney Institute of Environmental Studies Vallentine Annexe, Institute of Environmental Studies Vallentine Annexe, University of New South Wales Kensington 2052 NSW University of New South Wales Kensington 2052 NSW Phone: 61 (0)2 9385 5653 Phone: 61 (0) 404 979 838 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Sarah Doornbos Dr Stephen Jackson FATE Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and PO Box 2313 Natural Resources, University of Sydney Orange NSW 2800 Eveleigh NSW 2015 Email: [email protected] Phone: 61 (0)2 8627 1029 Email: [email protected] In submitting this report, the researchers have agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6271 4100 Fax: 02 6271 4199 Email: [email protected]. Web: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Electronically published by RIRDC in October 2010 Print-on-demand by Union Offset Printing, Canberra at www.rirdc.gov.au or phone 1300 634 313 ii Foreword Australia’s biodiversity is in crisis, and innovative alternatives are urgently needed. Threats to survival of mammals in the wild in Australia have prompted the proposition that keeping native mammals as pets, rather than the current suite of primarily exotic predators, could contribute to conservation. This report assesses the feasibility of this proposal. The study seeks to strategically inform the potential development of an industry based on use of native mammals as pets in a way that helps to ensure positive conservation and welfare outcomes. While the keeping of certain native reptiles, birds and amphibians as pets is reasonably well-established across Australia, private domestic keeping of most native mammals is currently prohibited in most states. The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation invests in new and emerging industries on behalf of government and industry stakeholders. New industries provide opportunities to be captured by rural producers and investors. They also provide avenues for farmers facing adjustment pressure to diversify and manage change. The establishment of new industries contributes to community resilience and regional development. Increasingly, new industries are also contributing to a distinctive regional character in rural Australia. The desirability and practicability of a native mammal pet industry has been the subject of much debate and proposals to expand keeping of native mammals face substantial opposition. A diverse range of stakeholders holds varied and often-conflicting values and perspectives. This study provides the first comprehensive and balanced consideration of a complex issue that has to date lacked a well- informed debate. This report provides a valuable basis for review of policy and legislation relating to private keeping of native animals. This project was funded from RIRDC Core Funds which are provided by the Australian Government. This report is an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 2000 research publications and it forms part of our New Animal Products program, which aims to accelerate the development of viable new animal industries. Most of RIRDC’s publications are available for viewing, free downloading or purchasing online at www.rirdc.gov.au. Purchases can also be made by phoning 1300 634 313. Craig Burns Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii About the Authors Rosie Cooney is an ecologist and a biodiversity and environmental policy specialist. She is a researcher, lecturer and consultant affiliated with the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University and the Institute of Environmental Studies at UNSW, and an active member of the IUCN – World Conservation Union Species Survival Commission’s Sustainable Use Specialist Group. She holds first class Honours degrees in Zoology and in Law from ANU and a PhD in Zoology from Cambridge, and has ten years experience in biodiversity policy research, analysis and development. She has worked for six years for international conservation organisations (based in Europe), including IUCN – The World Conservation Union and WWF, and for four years in Australia in research, teaching and consulting. Her work focuses on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, with a strong emphasis on finding approaches that both meet human needs and conserve biodiversity. Rosalie Chapple is an ecologist who combines university teaching, research and consulting in ecosystem management and sustainability. She is a Visiting Fellow in the Institute of Environmental Studies at UNSW, and Executive Director of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute. She has a BSc from the University of Adelaide, a first class Honours in animal physiology from the University of New England, and a PhD from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney. From an early research career focussed on the biology and behaviour of mammals, increasingly her work has involved the broader multi-disciplinary aspects of environmental management and conservation. Sarah Doornbos is a researcher at the Future of Australia's Threatened Ecosystems (FATE) Program, now in the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Sydney (previously at University of New South Wales). She holds a BSc and MSc degree in Biology from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With the FATE Program she is involved in interdisciplinary research projects focusing on conservation through sustainable use of native species. Stephen Jackson is a behavioural and environmental ecologist who has studied Australian mammals in the wild and in captivity over the last 20 years. He has worked in a number of different roles including field ecologist, zookeeper, curator, government regulator, and part time lecturer and wildlife consultant. He has published various scientific articles and three books as a result of his research, with several other books nearing completion. One of his books, Australian Mammals: Biology and Captive Management, was awarded the Whitley Medal for the best natural history book in 2004 from the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. Dr Jackson holds a BSc in Botany and Zoology, an MSc in Environmental Biology and a PhD in Zoology. Project team Dr Rosie Cooney (Chief Investigator) Dr Rosalie Chapple (Chief Investigator) Ms Sarah Doornbos (Researcher) Ms Kaniknun Bua Chinachaimongkol (Researcher - literature review) Ms Sue Stevens (Project administration and final report editing) Mr Peter Ampt (Project Liaison) Dr Stephen Jackson (Expert Advisor) Dr George Wilson (Expert Advisor) Dr Carolyn Larcombe (Expert Advisor) Project steering committee Dr Ian McCausland (Chair) Mr Peter Gowland Dr Hank Jenkins iv Acknowledgments We greatly appreciate the input we have received from George Wilson and Carolyn Larcombe of the project’s Advisory Group, and from Ian McCausland, Peter Gowland and Hank Jenkins of the Steering Committee. Thank you to Peter Ampt, Manager of the Future of Australia’s Threatened Ecosystems Program (FATE), for his project liaison, and Sue Stevens, also of the FATE program, for her valuable assistance. We are grateful for the generous time donated