<
https://theconversation.com/new-expose-of-australias-exotic-pet-trade-shows-an-alarming-proliferation-of-alien-threatened-and-illegal-species-203354>
"Australia has a global reputation for being tough on biosecurity. There are
strict rules around the import and export of both native and exotic species.
Security is tight, and advanced screening technology commonplace at ports of
entry and mail centres.
But it’s a different story within the country, with plenty of movement of
wildlife across state borders.
Our research published today in the journal
Biological Conservation uncovers
the surprising scale and diversity of the domestic online pet trade in
Australia. Threatened species, invasive pests, banned imports, and animals not
yet known to science are all for sale.
Over a 14-week period, prior to the commencement of Australian COVID-19
restrictions, we detected the trade of more than 100,000 individual live
animals. This included more than 60,000 separate advertisements and a total of
1,192 species, including 81 threatened species, 667 alien (non-native) species,
and 279 species that are not allowed to be imported into Australia.
We hope our results, from the first systematic survey of exotic vertebrate pets
(this includes non-domesticated reptiles, amphibians, fish and birds) traded in
Australia, will help biosecurity agencies identify high-risk and potentially
illegal species."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
