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, Private Bag 63002, Wellington 6140 OR email to: [email protected] Application number APP201517 Applicant Zoo and Aquarium Association Key contact Simon Eyre 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 1 May 2012. May 2012 EPA0162 3 Application for containment approval for new organisms 1. What type of containment activity are you applying for? Tick appropriate option: 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. The reassessment (under the HSNO Act) of terrestrial zoo animals and aquatic mammalian zoo animals 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. In May 2011 an application by ERMA (application number ERMA200651) was approved by the Authority to reassess all Zoo animals that were approved, or deemed approved, during the transitional period when the HSNO Act came into force. This application covers the terrestrial zoo animals and aquatic mammalian zoo animals that are approved or deemed approved under the HSNO Act for being held in zoological gardens. 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. The Zoo and Aquarium Association is the peak industry body that represents over 80 member institutions across the Australasian region. The aim of this application is the reassessment of animals in containment in zoos and aquariums in New Zealand so as to apply consistent controls across all zoo containment species. All of the species within this application are either held in New Zealand zoological collections, were held in New Zealand during the transitional period for the HSNO Act, or have been subject to a full EPA approval but are not yet held within New Zealand. This application addresses the changes that have occurred in the zoo and aquarium May 2012 EPA0162 4 Application for containment approval for new organisms industry, resulting in a focus on conservation, education, animal welfare and research rather than purely the display of animals for the leisure pass time of the community. It also seeks to address perceived deficiencies in the current containment standard with regards to the requirements for containing these organisms through a set of proposed controls. Previously there have been instances which have led to serious injuries, deaths, and the closure of containment facilities that could have been attributed to lack husbandry skills, forward planning, business continuity and financial sustainability. The proposed controls would enable MPI and EPA, as well as the zoo and aquarium industry, to have a level of assurance around all these potential issues, and reduce the likelihood of such an incident occurring. The Zoo Aquarium Association supports all approvals being considered with these factors in mind to ensure better administration, human health and safety, animal welfare and support for the standards required for a good zoo or aquarium. The Zoo Aquarium Association has a rigorous Accreditation programme for members but non members are not part of this. The Accreditation programme addresses many of the issues above which have led to closure of facilities or other less than optimal scenarios. We propose a set of controls in this document that address the overlaps between containment, animal welfare, health and safety, the current zoo and aquarium standards, and biosecurity. We also propose controls around resourcing and planning, in particular regarding the potential closure of facilities, to recognise that the animals contained in zoos and aquariums are living organisms and their life may extend beyond the life of the containment facility. 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? Organism in the application: See appendix one for full list of the species being reassessed. Change in Giraffe Taxonomy New taxonomic information has been published which changes Giraffa camelopardalis from a single species with a number of subspecies to eight species (Appendix 3). Giraffa camelopardalis → Giraffa angolensis (Angolan giraffe) Giraffa antiquorum (Kordofan giraffe) Giraffa camelopardalis (Nubian or Rothschild's giraffe) Giraffa giraffa (Cape giraffe) Giraffa peralta (West African giraffe) Giraffa reticulata (reticulated giraffe) May 2012 EPA0162 5 Application for containment approval for new organisms Giraffa thornicrofti (Luangwa giraffe) Giraffa tippelskirchi (Masai giraffe) Until recently there was only a single species recognised for Giraffe which was Giraffa camelopardalis. With the new taxonomic information that splits them into separate species this does not change the nature of the approved species, as until recently they have all been seen as the same species. The Giraffes in New Zealand are either recorded at species level only (Giraffa camelopardalis) or as Rothschilds Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildii). As such it is not possible to know which of the separate species, as listed by Groves and Grubb, have ever been present in New Zealand. However given that all Giraffe have been managed as a single species and none pose any greater risk than any other we would like to request that the approval be amended to that of genus level, Giraffa, which would then allow any of the species be kept in New Zealand zoos. The organism that is the subject of this application is also the subject of: a. an innovative medicine application as defined in section 23A of the Medicines Act 1981. No b. an innovative agricultural compound application as defined in Part 6 of the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997. No 6. For field tests: The nature and method of the field test Describe the nature and method of the field test and the experimental procedures to be used. N/A 7. Proposed containment of the new organism(s) (physical and operational) Describe how you propose to contain the new organism(s) after taking into account its ability to escape from containment (i.e. the possible pathways for escape). All of the species in this application are held in containment facilities approved under the MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Standard 154.03.04 Containment Facilities for Zoo Animals. Those organisms with EPA approval are being held in accordance with a range of EPA/ERMA imposed controls that govern their containment in conjunction with this standard. We propose a selection of additional controls be imposed on these organisms. These controls are outlined in Appendix Two of this application. These additional controls are proposed with the knowledge that the EPA is working towards a revised containment standard for zoological garden containment facilities. May 2012 EPA0162 6 Application for containment approval for new organisms 8. Detail of Māori engagement (if any) Discuss any engagement or consultation with Māori undertaken and summarise the outcomes. Advice from EPA KKT Maori Policy and Operations was to the effect that no engagement was required. 9. Identification and assessment of beneficial (positive) and adverse effects of the new organism(s) Adverse effects include risks and costs.