Vertebrate Pests Committee List of Exotic Vertebrate Animals in Australia Revised July 2007 Background 1993. Endoglyphs and other major venomous snakes of the world: a checklist. Geneva: AZEMIOPS. All species on this list (excluding those with B or C annotations) form a definitive record of the non- Howard, R. and Moore, A. 1991. A Complete indigenous vertebrate mammals, birds, amphibians Checklist of the Birds of the World. Academic and reptiles held in Australia under State and Territory Press, London. legislation. (It is the responsibility of the holder of an individual animal to ensure that they are also Kingston, R. 1998. Keeping and Breeding Finches compliant with Commonwealth legislation relating to and Seed-eaters. Indruss Productions, New Farm. the possession and quarantine of exotic animals.) This list should be used as a reference by the Mehrtens, J.M. 1987. Living Snakes of the World. Vertebrate Pests Committee and Commonwealth, New York: Sterling Publishing. State and Territory agencies in controlling the entry, movement and keeping of exotic vertebrate animals. Sibley, C. and Monroe, B. 1990. Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World. Yale University This list may be subject to change from time to time Press, New Haven. (with VPC approval), to incorporate changes in the taxonomic name of species. It may also be changed Sokolov, V.E. 1988. Dictionary of Animal Names in where additions have been made through the legal Five Languages: Amphibians and Reptiles. Moscow: importation of new exotic species into Australia under Russky Yazyk. the provisions of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles: An Action Plan for Quarantine Act 1908. their Conservation. IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group Each species, unless otherwise stated, has so far only be subjected to a general assessment of the risk it Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. 1996. Mammal poses. Specific and thorough risk assessments are Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic nd indicated in the comments section. reference. 2 ed. Washington & London: Smithsonian Institution Press. This list is maintained by the Secretary, Vertebrate Pests Committee and should be updated on a regular basis. All changes to this list should be made in Acknowledgment: VPC acknowledges the assistance accordance with current VPC policy and must be and advice of Paul Andrew, Curator, Taronga Zoo, accepted unanimously by all VPC member agencies. NSW Agriculture, ARAZPA and the Department of Agriculture in Western Australia in the preparation of Please contact Environment Australia for further this list. information about importation of exotic animals into Australia. Please note however, that animals imported under Environment Australia legislation will usually also be subject to State and Territory legislative controls. i. e. the species must also Contact Details appear on this VPC list. Executive Officer Please Note: This VPC List includes all exotic C/o Natural Resource Management vertebrate animals in Australia on the basis of their Department of Natural Resources, Environment and pest potential down to a taxonomic level of species. the Arts Individual sub-species are not listed. PO Box 30 Palmerston NT 0831 Tel: 08 8999 3448 References Fax: 08 8999 4403 Email: [email protected] Christidis, L. and Boles, W. E. 1994. The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories. Science and Natural Resources RAOU Monograph 2. Department of the Environment and Heritage PO Box 767 Frost, N.C. 1985. Amphibian Species of the World: a Canberra ACT 2601 taxonomic and geographic reference. Kansas: Allen Tel: 02 62742600 Press Inc. & Association of Systematics Collections. Fax: 02 6274 1620 [email protected] Golay, P., Smith, H.M., Broadley, D.G., Dixon, J.R., McCarthy, C., Rage, J.C., Schatti, B. & M. Toriba. KEY TO TABLES DEFINITION OF VPC THREAT CATEGORIES OTHER INFORMATION (from Guidelines on the Entry, Movement and A Those species currently held in statutory zoos in Keeping of Exotic Vertebrate Animals in Australia Australia as a result of seizures by Customs or – April 2005 legal importations, but which were not previously http://www.feral.org.au/feral_documents/VPCGuid categorised by VPC before January 1st 1998. elinesApril05.pdf ). These species have been considered by VPC and have been placed in Category 2, without a To assign an exotic species to a threat category, three full review of pest potential, as of January 1st risk scores are calculated: the risk that (1) an escaped 1998. A condition of this decision is that VPC will or released individual would harm people, (2) escaped not permit Approved Collection Status to be or released individuals would establish a wild free- given to private zoos for any of the species listed living population (3) the species would be a pest if a in red without a full review of pest potential being wild population did establish. These three risk scores conducted by an independent VPC consultant, as are then used to assign the exotic species to one of part of any application for approved collection four threat categories: extreme, serious, moderate or status. However these species can be low (see table below). For further information about transferred between Statutory Zoos subject to the risk assessment method used, please see normal commonwealth and state requirements. Bomford, M. (2003) Risk Assessment for the Import and Keeping of Exotic Vertebrates in Australia. B Species held in Australia in “List of Animals Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra. (in Press). (Aves, Mammalia, Reptilia, Amphibia)” compiled by the WORKING PARTY ON INTRODUCTION E – Extreme Threat Category AND CONTROL OF NON-INDIGENOUS PEST These animals should not be allowed to enter, nor be SPECIES for the VERTEBRATE PESTS kept in any State or Territory. (Special consideration COMMITTEE 1980, but is no longer held in may be given to scientific institutions on a case by Australia. NB: (will remain on the VPC list and case basis.) Any species that has not been assessed will retain the category assigned by VPC previously should be considered to be in the Extreme previously, but it is not recommended to be listed Threat Category and should be treated accordingly, under state or territory legislation controlling the until a risk assessment is conducted. entry, movement and keeping of exotic animals). S – Serious Threat Category C Species in Class 1a that have been imported into Australia for research purposes in accordance These animals may be introduced and/or should be with VPC policy and the Wildlife Protection kept only in collections approved by the relevant (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act and can State/Territory authority as being primarily kept for (1) only be kept by specific “Approved Scientific public display and education purposes, and/or for (2) Institutions”. Statutory or private zoos cannot genuine scientific research approved by the relevant keep species. State/Territory authority, and as meeting Best Practice for the purposes of keeping the species concerned. M – Moderate Threat Category These animals should be restricted to collections approved and registered by the relevant State/Territory authority for the keeping of Moderate Threat Species. States/Territories may continue to impose any additional restrictions on acquisition and keeping of Moderate Threat Species. L – Low Threat Category Animals which, relative to other species, have a low risk of becoming a problem for the environment, primary industry or public safety. Vertebrate Pests Committee List of Exotic Vertebrate Animals in Australia, July 2007………………………………………………. page 4 ASSIGNING SPECIES TO THREAT CATEGORIES Danger posed by Establishment likelihood Establishment VPC Threat Implication for Implication for individual animals (risk (risk that a particular consequence (Risk an category any proposed keeping and escaped individual species will establish a established population import into movement in animals would harm wild population in would cause harm) Australia1,2 Australia people) Australia) Highly Dangerous, Extreme Extreme Extreme Prohibited Limited to those Moderately Dangerous or collections approved Not Dangerous for keeping particular Extreme Highly Dangerous, Extreme High Extreme Threat species Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, Extreme Moderate Extreme Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, Extreme Low Extreme Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, High Extreme Extreme Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, High High Extreme Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, Moderate Extreme Extreme Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, High Moderate Serious Import restricted to Limited to those Moderately Dangerous or those collections collections approved Not Dangerous approved for for keeping keeping Serious particular Serious Highly Dangerous, High Low Serious Threat species Threat species Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, Moderate High Serious Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous Moderate Moderate Serious Highly Dangerous Moderate Low Serious Highly Dangerous, Low Extreme Serious Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous, Low High Serious Moderately Dangerous or Not Dangerous Highly Dangerous Low Moderate Serious Highly Dangerous Low Low Serious Moderately Dangerous or Moderate Moderate Moderate Import restricted to Limited