Rebecca Baker

Slithering into your backyard

29 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment

by Rebecca in Environment, Science

BY REBECCA BAKER

For some people the thought of having an exotic snake as a pet makes them squirm, for others their intricate patterns and unique physiology is fascinating, and to some, they’re just plain fun.

Unfortunately many snake enthusiast’s fail to realise the risks and realities of keeping exotic snakes. More than 29 illegal exotic snakes and eight native snakes have been seized by federal and state environment authorities at properties in the Western suburbs of Sydney.

More recently a Sydney man was fined $3000 for keeping six exotic snakes in his Blacktown home. The trade in venomous snakes such as cobras, rattlesnakes and vipers is a serious threat to human life. While the survival prospects for people bitten by native snakes are good, treatment of exotic venomous snake bite is much more difficult because some foreign anti-venoms are not available in Australia.

Those that can be obtained may not be effective because the venoms of foreign e

xotic species are highly variable. The bites of many foreign snakes can also be disfiguring, and may lead to amputations and permanent scarring.

However Dustin Welbourne, chief research scientist at the Canberra Reptile Sanctuary says that there are some risks involved with keeping snakes, but [owner] experience does not negate all dangers.

“Some snakes are more difficult than others. The husbandry requirements of different species varies, but provided those requirements are met, it is not overly difficult.”

Snake enthusiasts usually keep snakes which are not dangerous enough to cause any harm, however when animals are brought into Australia illegally this can cause a number of problems far beyond the owners initial danger.

Slithering into the environment

Australia is renowned for its spectacular natural features and a rich diversity of flora and fauna. One of the greatest threats to our natural environment is the introduction of foreign wildlife such as reptiles – snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles and alligators and amphibians.

Sometimes pet owners will ‘dump’ their foreign pets into bush or parklands. The department of environment and heritage says that, “The reality is that exotic animals threaten our unique environment, agriculture and the tourism industry. Releasing exotic animals into the wild isn’t good for the a

nimal and may damage the environment. The animal is likely to die from exposure or starvation and it could introduce an exotic disease or pathogen to which native species have no immunity or the animal may become a pest itself.”

Illegally imported snakesthat have not undergone Australia’s strict quarantine regime could harbour exotic diseases such as Inclusion Body Disease or Ophidian Paramyxo Virus. The effects of these diseases in captivity are devastating, with entire collections of snakes infected and killed. The impacts of such viruses on native populations could be severe.

These foreign animals also compete with native species for food and shelter. A vast array of exotic reptile species could easily thrive in Australia and this would have disastrous consequences for Australian reptiles and amphibians and the other animals that share their habitat.

In the wild, exotic reptiles and amphibians could also eat our native frogs, birds, insects and small mammals, damaging the populations of these species and the native animals who prey on them.

Slithering towards the light

However it is not just the environment which is at stake, there are even dangers involved for the animal being transported.

Australia’s RSPCA says, “Unfortunately there is an ongoing and highly lucrative illegal international trade in exotic wildlife which has serious animal welfare and conservation consequences. Because of the high prices some animals can fetch, many people attempt to smuggle these animals illegally into Australia using ever more inventive means. Animals regularly seized by Australian Customs include live birds and eggs, turtles, tortoises, snakes, lizards. Smuggled animals suffer stress, dehydration, or starvation and many animals die during the process.”

Unregulated trade in wildlife has become a major factor in the decline of many species of animals and plants. In 1975 an international convention was established to prevent international trade from threatening species with extinction. This treaty is known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Federal environment department spokesman Luke Bond “These laws are in place to protect our wildlife and environment, to which exotic snakes pose a serious threat. Smuggled animals also suffer stress, dehydration, or starvation, and many die in transit.”

The importation of exotic animals into Australia is controlled by laws administered by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEWHA), and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS). These laws apply to all importers of live exotic animals.

Each state has their own set of laws governing exotic animal trade, the Victorian department of sustainability and environment has said that, “…unfortunately the overwhelming majority of pet stores and people who own native reptiles comply with the law. It is the minority of people who endanger other Australians and our native environment by keeping, selling and breeding exotic animals.”

However, any person who keeps, breeds or trades exotic reptiles and amphibians is liable for fines of up to $110,000 and/or 10 years’ jail under Commonwealth legislation and animals captured are usually euthanized because of quarantine concerns.

So why keep bringing these reptiles in illegally? According to Dustin asking why snake keepers go for the exotics kinds rather than keep a legal breed is sort of like asking why some people buy a Holden rather than a Toyota. “Often the grass is greener. It is having something novel that your friends don’t have, but in other cases it is because that is just what the person likes.”

If you see an animal for sale in Australia, or advertised for sale, and you suspect that it has been illegally imported, you can check it against the DEWHA exotic animal guide which indicates those exotic species that can or cannot be imported legally, and then report it to the relevant agency.