Section E Wildlife

List of policies

E1	Wildlife - general principles (reviewed 17/10/03)
1.1	The following definitions of terms apply throughout this section:
	a Wildlife and wild animals—used interchangeably to refer to animals (both native and introduced) living and reproducing in the wild.     b Native animals—animals that are indigenous to Australia.     c Introduced animals—any non-native (exotic) animals living and reproducing in the wild. For management purposes this may also include native animals when they are found outside their normal geographical distribution.     d Feral animals—introduced domesticated animals that have reverted to a wild state.     e Ecosystem—a community of organisms together with its environment, functioning as a unit.
1.2	RSPCA Australia recognises that the state of an ecosystem directly affects the diversity of populations, the likely survival of animal species and the welfare of individual animals within it. The welfare of wild animal populations is intrinsically linked to the sustainable functioning of the ecosystems in which they live. RSPCA Australia recognises that the natural environment has undergone dramatic changes since human settlement and that remedial action is required to repair damaged ecosystems. RSPCA Australia encourages the preservation of ecosystems by strictly regulating their use through adherence to documented management plans.
1.3	RSPCA Australia supports the use of independent environmental impact assessments to determine the potential for effects from any development that may threaten the continued survival of a species or significantly alter RSPCA Policies & Position Papers RSPCA Australia is opposed to any project that significantly impacts on the welfare of wildlife.
1.4	RSPCA Australia supports the establishment and maintenance of national parks and major conservation zones in areas of environmental significance. The area and contiguity of these conservation zones should be such as to preserve genetic diversity and promote biodiversity. Multiple use of national parks, conservation zones or recreational parks should only include activities that do not jeopardise the welfare of the fauna the parks are intended to protect.
1.5	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the agricultural and commercial use of chemical substances which have harmful side-effects on wild and other nontarget animals or their ecosystems. RSPCA Australia is opposed to the use or storage of potentially dangerous materials in or adjacent to proclaimed environmentally sensitive areas or zones.
1.6	RSPCA Australia believes that management practices utilising natural resources should be designed to ensure that they do not result in unnecessary suffering to animals, or negative consequences for the viability of the population.
1.7	RSPCA Australia requires the application of adequate resources for research that will lead to improved management and protection of all significant ecosystems.
1.8	RSPCA Australia requires the application of adequate resources by the Government and the community to educate all levels of the community about the importance of conservation of ecosystems to the survival of individual fauna and flora.
1.9	RSPCA Australia urges members of the community to accept individual responsibility in protecting the environment.
1.10	RSPCA Australia believes that the Australian government should ratify international treaties and conventions which serve to promote animal welfare and conservation of ecosystems.
E2	Control and commercial use of native animals (reviewed 17/10/03)
2.1	RSPCA Australia recognises that, due to a range of factors, in many areas there is an imbalance in wild populations of some species of native animals. RSPCA Australia acknowledges that in some circumstances it is necessary to reduce wild populations of some native animals.
2.2	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the killing of native animals in the wild where there is the potential for cruelty. Such killing should only be sanctioned where no successful humane non-lethal alternative method of control is available.
2.3	Any measures taken to reduce or otherwise control wild populations of native species must be proven to be necessary and potentially successful at reducing the adverse impact of the target animals. They must be conducted humanely, and be under the direct supervision of the appropriate government authorities as part of an approved management program.
2.4	Such control programs should be target-specific, not cause suffering to non-target animals, and should be effectively monitored and audited with resulting data made available for public information.
2.5	RSPCA Australia opposes the commercial removal and use of native animals, unless such use is carried out in a humane manner and only as part of a fully regulated and government supervised management program.
E3	Control and commercial use of introduced animals (reviewed 17/10/03)
3.1	RSPCA Australia recognises that wild populations of introduced animals can adversely affect natural ecosystems, endanger native plant and animal species, jeopardise agricultural production and can harbour pests and diseases. RSPCA Australia acknowledges that in certain circumstances it is necessary to reduce or eradicate populations of some introduced animals.
3.2	The killing of introduced animals should only be sanctioned where no successful, humane non-lethal alternative method of control is available.
3.3	Any measures taken to reduce or eradicate specific populations of introduced animals must recognise that these animals require the same level of consideration for their welfare as that given to domestic and native animals. Control programs must be proven to be necessary and potentially successful at reducing the adverse impact of the target animals.
3.4	Such control programs must be conducted humanely, and be under the direct supervision of the appropriate government authorities. They should be target specific, not cause suffering to non-target animals, and should be effectively monitored and audited with resulting data made available for public information.
3.5	RSPCA Australia opposes the commercial removal and use of introduced animals unless such use is carried out in a humane manner and only as part of a fully regulated government supervised management program. Commercial operations should not be permitted to sustain population levels of these animals to the detriment of the environment and the animals involved.
E4	Control methods (reviewed 17/10/03)
4.1	RSPCA Australia is opposed to inhumane methods of controlling wild animal populations.
4.2	RSPCA Australia recognises the need to improve and replace many current control techniques. RSPCA Australia encourages research and development of humane alternative control methods and regards this as a priority area for research funding and promotion under government control programs.
4.3	Control strategies should ensure that any reduction of target populations is maintained in the long term to minimise the number of animals subjected to control. Integrated control techniques should be used where appropriate to maximise the success of control programs.
4.4	Traps
	RSPCA Australia believes that toothed steel-jawed leg-hold traps and snares should be banned from use as they cause serious physical injury and suffering to the captured animal. The use of any other type of live trap can also cause suffering if the captured animal: (a) injures itself when attempting to escape; (b) is rendered vulnerable to attack from other animals; (c) is restrained for a long period without food or water. Such traps should only be used in circumstances that avoid potential suffering, for instance where regular checks are made. RSPCA Australia believes that traps that kill instantaneously and reliably are a humane method of control.
4.5	Poison baits
4.5.1	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the use of poisons that cause suffering and/or baiting strategies that are not target-specific. RSPCA Australia is opposed to the use of aerial baiting where the impact of this technique is not target-specific.
4.6	1080 (sodium fluoroacetate)
4.6.1	RSPCA Australia believes that the available evidence indicates that, in general, the effect of 1080 on animals is not humane.
4.6.2	RSPCA Australia is therefore opposed to the use of 1080 for the control of animals. If, however, 1080 continues to be used under the auspices of relevant government authorities, it must only be used if all of the following conditions are met:
	reliable evidence has been provided that control of the population is justified     there is a high probability that such use will be successful in eradicating or reducing the target population in the long-term     all possible measures are taken to avoid the poisoning of non-target species     the supply of 1080 is only issued as a pre-mixed bait by the relevant state authority and such issue and use is carried out as outlined in current state legislation and according to best practice techniques
4.7	Lethal biological control
	RSPCA Australia believes that the release of disease agents for the biological control of wild animals should only be permitted if the agent has been demonstrated to cause a humane death to the target animal. Development of such an agent must include full prior consideration of its impact on the species and the ecosystem in which it is to be released through adequate research and testing.
4.8	Fertility control
	RSPCA Australia supports research into fertility control methods to regulate both introduced and native wildlife populations, where these methods are known to be humane, have the potential to be successful, and have been demonstrated not to have detrimental consequences on the population or ecosystem they affect.
4.9	Shooting
	RSPCA Australia recognises that shooting is a commonly used method of killing native and introduced animals. RSPCA Australia considers that the most consistent and reliable means of humanely killing an animal by shooting is by firing a bullet into the brain.
4.10	Bounty systems
	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the use of bounty systems for the control of wild animals where they promote the use of inhumane lethal methods or fail to successfully reduce the impact of target animals
4.11	Burrow clearing and destruction
	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the use of inhumane burrow clearing or destruction techniques, including fumigation using chloropicrin, or the ripping of burrows without prior clearing using humane control methods.
E5	Farming of wild animals (reviewed 17/10/03)
5.1	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the farming of native or introduced animals that are derived from the wild unless the animals are clearly identified as being suitable for this purpose, have non-demanding husbandry, are adaptable to live, breed and have their needs met in the captive state, can be caught, transported and slaughtered humanely and without causing distress, and pose no health or public safety risks to humans or other animals.
5.2	Farmed wild animals should not be released back into the wild but must be humanely killed.
E6	Hunting of wild animals for sport (reviewed 17/10/03)
6.1	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the hunting of any wild animal for sport.
	See also: C5 Hunting of animals for sport
6.2	Duck and quail shooting
	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the annual open seasons on duck and quail shooting because of the cruelty involved and believes such hunting should be banned.
E7	Keeping of wild animals as pets (reviewed 17/10/03)
7.1	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the keeping of native or introduced animals that are taken from the wild as pets.
7.2	RSPCA Australia believes that animals derived from the wild should not be kept as pets unless the animals are clearly identified as being suitable for this purpose, have non-demanding husbandry, are adaptable to live, breed and have their needs met in the captive state and pose no health or public safety risks to humans or other animals. Any such animals should be desexed to prevent over-breeding of wildlife in captivity.
7.3	RSPCA Australia does not support proposals for keeping native animals as pets as a means of promoting their conservation.
E8	Rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife (reviewed 17/10/03)
8.1	Wildlife that is rescued by reason of sickness, injury or parental loss, should be promptly assessed, preferably by an experienced veterinarian, and managed by a person with specialised knowledge and experience in the particular requirements of the species. Where the animal is found to be suffering from significant pain or distress, which cannot be relieved, it should be promptly euthanased.
8.2	In the case of native animals, where there is a reasonable expectation that the animal can be successfully rehabilitated to its own environment (in the location from which it was found or other appropriate location), it should be placed in the care of a person or wildlife rescue facility that has been registered by the relevant government authority as being proficient in wildlife care and rehabilitation.
8.3	Where rehabilitation and successful release is unlikely or, in the case of introduced animals, undesirable, and where there are no exceptional conservation reasons or needs to keep the animal in captivity, it should be promptly and humanely killed.
8.4	It should be recognised that in many circumstances it will not be possible to successfully release wildlife back into the wild. Wildlife should only be released when scientific evidence indicates a high probability of successful rehabilitation of species, such as:
	a When they are capable of existence in the wild and it is in the best interests of the individual animal as well as the species.     b Where there is sufficient control of introduced predators and adequate habitat to sustain the animals.     c Into an area which is known to naturally sustain the particular species, unless under justifiable circumstances such as a captive breeding program on an offshore island.     d Where such release will not place the existing populations in the area at unreasonable risk (eg due to competition, disease, predation or genetic effects).
8.5	All animals should be individually identified in an appropriate and humane manner prior to their release. Efforts should be made to determine their subsequent welfare and survival.
8.6	The relevant government authority should maintain control over wildlife rescuers and act as a facilitator to ensure that information they may accrue regarding the appropriate (and inappropriate) care of wildlife species is distributed to others involved.
8.7	RSPCA Australia supports the development of national codes of practice for the rescue and rehabilitation of native wildlife.
E9	Public exhibition of wildlife (reviewed 17/10/03)
9.1	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the public exhibition of animals taken from the wild, as the capture, transportation and acclimatisation of wild animals causes them unacceptable distress and suffering.
9.2	Where captive-bred animals are held for public exhibition they must be kept in appropriate conditions that meet their physiological, social and behavioural needs.
9.3	Zoological parks
9.3.1	No zoological park should be established for the purpose of keeping animals permanently in captivity unless it has the full endorsement of the State Government Zoological Board (or its equivalent) and adequate resources to ensure the provision of suitable and acceptable care, veterinary attention, security and accommodation that meets the behavioural, social and physiological needs of the animals. RSPCA Australia opposes the establishment of zoological parks which do not have an appropriate level of state government financial support and control.
9.3.2	In principle, RSPCA Australia supports those zoological parks whose facilities meet the behavioural, social and physiological needs of animals, which have documented animal management plans and devote resources to captive breeding of endangered species and restocking of native populations into their natural habitat. This support extends to programs involving artificial insemination and in-vitro fertilisation to maintain genetic variation in remnant populations of animal species otherwise facing extinction.
9.3.3	Zoological parks should not be stocked from the wild but from other parks’ surplus stock and numbers should thereafter be maintained by planned management procedures including breeding programs.
9.4	Export of native animals for public exhibition
	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the export of native animals for public exhibition unless this is from a government endorsed Zoological Park in Australia to an equivalent public facility overseas and is approved by the Commonwealth Government.
E10	Aquatic wildlife (reviewed 17/10/03)
10.1	Fish and crustaceans
10.1.1	Fish and crustaceans are capable of experiencing pain and suffering, thus they must be accorded the same respect, consideration, compassion and care as that given to other animals.
10.1.2	All fish and crustaceans killed for food or other purposes must be killed humanely as soon as possible after capture. RSPCA Australia does not accept as humane the practice of allowing fish to suffocate after capture.
10.1.3	RSPCA Australia believes that fish and crustaceans should be uniformly protected under state and territory animal protection legislation including codes of practice.
10.2	Net and long-line fishing
10.2.1	RSPCA Australia is opposed to drift net and long-line fishing because these techniques result in indiscriminate non-target deaths.
10.2.2	RSPCA Australia urges the implementation and enforcement through appropriate legislation of a code of conduct for the use of all types of fishing nets, with specific attention being given to the provision of escape mechanisms for marine mammals and birds and the welfare of other nontarget species.
10.2.3	RSPCA Australia supports the development and promotion of any fishing techniques that will reduce the suffering of non-target animals.
10.3	Shark nets
	RSPCA Australia is opposed to the use of shark nets for beach protection that are inhumane to sharks and other marine animals.
10.4	Whaling
	RSPCA Australia is opposed to all whaling as there is no available technique that can humanely kill a whale.

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