(Photo: Facebook)
May 25, 2016
The State Government has declared a short amnesty to allow pet owners to surrender illegal non-native reptiles.
Agriculture Minister Leanne Donaldson said the exotic reptile amnesty would run until June 10 and would allow people to hand in non-native reptiles (turtles, lizards or snakes) without the risk of prosecution before the implementation of the Biosecurity Act 2014 on July 1.
“It’s illegal to keep non-native reptiles as pets in Queensland as they pose a real threat to our native wildlife,” Ms Donaldson said.
“A single pregnant snake or turtle could establish a population that could out-compete native species and be impossible to eradicate.
“Exotic reptiles also carry diseases that, if introduced into Queensland, have the potential to wipe out native reptiles.
“Under the new laws, harsher penalties will apply to those keeping declared pests in Queensland, including jail time.”
Dr John Robertson, from Biosecurity Queensland, said his team had responded to incidents involving a range of non-native reptiles that had been found at large in urban areas.
“Most of the exotic reptiles we find are the result of illegal pets escaping or being dumped,” Dr Robertson said.
“Since 2013 we have found five American corn snakes, four boa constrictors, a Chinese stripe-necked turtle, a South East Asian box turtle and two red-eared slider turtles in the community.”
Ms Donaldson said the purpose of the amnesty was to allow people to surrender any non-native reptile pets they have without the fear of prosecution.
She said surrender sites had been established in consultation with local councils.
“I’m encouraging people to make the right choice when considering the purchase of a pet, and asking those who are keeping non-native reptiles to use this opportunity to hand them in, penalty-free,” Ms Donaldson said.
- External link: Queensland Exotic Reptile Amnesty
