Wildlife Crime

The Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2006 (the Act) provides for the protection of all native wildlife within the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia; this includes animals and plants.

The provision of Wildlife Permits and the permits system enables the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Service to monitor wildlife held in captivity and to detect illegal wildlife activities such as animals that have been illegally acquired and kept in captivity or animals that have been illegally imported or exported in and out of the Territory.

Wildlife crime is the taking, interfering with, possessing, or having under your control, an animal that is classed as protected wildlife under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act without authority.

It is also a criminal offence to bring protected wildlife into, release protected wildlife in or take protected wildlife out of the Territory without authority under the Act.

The same applies for prohibited entrants – wildlife that are not native to the Northern Territory.

Restricted species are animals not native to the Northern Territory, and banned from entering the Northern Territory.  It is a criminal offence to have these animals in the Northern Territory.

‘Restricted Species’ include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Ferrets (Mustela putorius)
• Axolotls or Mexican Walking Fish (Ambysotomaa mexiccanum)
• Red-eared Slider Turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans)
• Frogs (all species)
• Turtles (all species)

This list of restricted species is subject to change and should be used as a guide only.

Persons found guilty of wildlife crime could face fines of up to $55,000 or five years imprisonment.

Ferret (photo, Chris Peberdy)

Red-eared Slider Turtle

Axolotls (Source: Wikimedia)

Permits                                                  

A permit is required to enable people to legally interfere with, take from the wild, possess, and import or export any wildlife within the Northern Territory.

Some species are referred to as ‘exempt’ species; these animals may be kept without a permit as long as they are obtained lawfully and not taken from the wild.

The interpretation of “animal” under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act is “A member of the animal kingdom other than man, whether dead or alive, and includes (a) vertebrates; (b) invertebrates; (c) protistans (d) the progeny of an animal, including larvae, pupae, an animal in an egg or any other embryonic form; (e) a part of an animal, including an exudate, a secretion or reproductive material, and (f) a chemical or other extract derived from an animal. Skulls; teeth; skins; shells including turtle shells; road kill or any part of a native animal is protected and generally requires a permit.

For any permit queries, contact the Parks and Wildlife Permits office on 8999 4795 or 8999 4814.

Some animals are worth a lot of money on the local black market, and even more overseas.  Wildlife smugglers often target Central Australia and other remote areas because there is less risk of being caught.  Large smugglers may take as many animals as they can find or fit in to a packing box knowing that there will be casualties; this is extremely cruel for the animals who suffer a slow death from dehydration and suffocation.

Some of the things to look out for include

• Tongs, hooks or pinning sticks used in snake catching;
• Calico bags, hoop bags, plastic boxes with holes drilled in them or other ventilated boxes;
• Cage traps, net traps or other trapping devices used for birds, mammals or reptiles;
• Live animal imports/exports that do not have a valid permit attached to the parcel;
• Animal products that have no permits or product tags.

Calico bag inside the foam box above contained a Banded Tree Snake hidden among aquarium products	Banded Tree Snake taken from Darwin
Animals can be concealed under clothing.	Animals can be smuggled in breathable bags inside boxes with holes punched in them.

 

Victims of Wildlife Smuggling

Bearded Dragons	Central Netted Dragons
Knob Tail Geckos	Box intercepted at a freight terminal. Many of its reptile content were already dead

 

Reporting Wildlife Crime

If you know of, or suspect someone of being involved in wildlife crime, please report it to your nearest Wildlife Management office with as much information as possible, for example: names, description, address, vehicle registration numbers, time, date, location and reasons for your suspicions or what you saw, you may even be able to provide photographic evidence; good information will lead to a possible conviction of wildlife offenders.

Wildlife Management Darwin                                            

564 Vanderlin Drive
Berrimah NT 0828
PO Box 496
Palmerston NT 0830                          

Tel:   (08) 8995 5052 or (08) 0995 5053
Mob: 0401 110 205 or 0401 115 702
Fax:  (08) 8995 5099

Wildlife Management Katherine

32 Giles Street
Katherine NT 0850
PO Box 344
Katherine NT 0851

Tel:   (08) 8973 8860 or (08) 8973 8849
Mob:  0419 828 487
Fax:  (08) 8973 8899

Wildlife Management Alice Springs  

Tom Hare Building
Stuart Highway
Alice Springs NT 0870
PO Box 1120
Alice Springs NT 0871

Tel:   (08) 8951 8266 or (08) 8951 8283
Mob: 0401 115 725 
Fax:  (08) 8951 8268

HELP US TO PROTECT OUR NATIVE WILDLIFE, PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU SEE ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS

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