RB parrots .... Australia pricing Why so high?

[Shezbug]

I thought this was interesting: Birds you don't need a licence to keep | NSW Environment & Heritage

You may find some of the birds on this list may only be for that particular state. Each state has a few different laws and requirements. I live in Victoria and do not need a licence for Burt here, but if I were to move back to WA I would need a licence to keep him. I think WA may have the most restrictions but I am not positive on this. We can keep most native birds without a licence but some you must have a licence for no matter what.

 

[camelotshadow]

From wha I've read about taking your bird to Australia they only allow native species such as tiels & toos.

The pair of Hawkheads stolen were never recovered & a reward of about $50K was offered.

They also do a DNA analysis & warned any Hawkheads sold would be subject to testing to see if they came from the stolen pair...That would be legal sales but I'm sure on the black market if you had the cash & did not care the babies were "hot" then there was not much to be done. They are not easy to breed & don;t have alot of eggs.


Sad for me as my Penny is a Hawkhead & if I went to live there I would not be allowed to take her..

AUS is a PITA but I understand as look at the rabbit/mouse etc problem with non native species.

Could not have a bunch of $25K Hawkheads flying about!

 

[iamwhoiam]

https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/images/documents/plants-animals/threatened-species/licenguide/CEO licensing guidelines - Fauna possessing pet keepers Reg 36 CEO Approved 31Dec2018.pdf

Do they make it difficult to get licenses for the species that require that?

 

[Shezbug]

I know of a few people with licences for some of their birds(Major Mitchell and Emu) and from what I know(which honestly is not an awful lot) they have had no problems but there are different requirements for each species that must be licensed. Some can not be kept without a bonded friend of the same species. For Emu you must have had a level 3 licence for a minimum of 2 years and you need to have over 1 hectare (min) for the emu to live on. The Major Mitchell you need an advanced bird keepers licence and possibly a certain size area for the bird to fly. I think these licenses are mainly for the purpose of making owning them a little harder so those who are not really keen on bird care and extra fees/responsibility wont bother with them and also because I believe if you have a licence then the authorities can come and check on the birds at any time they like.
I can not remember all of the ins and outs as it was quite some time back I discovered all the information......I asked a breeder from a bird club ages ago about licencing as I was interested in Major Mitchells but after hearing of all their possible quirks I decided to leave that wish for a little while longer. I am not sure I have all the information completely correct but I am pretty sure it is fairly accurate.

 

[ChirpyMacaw]

basically every state has different rules on animals, with wa and tas being the most strict. the licensing in vic is pretty stupid anyways, if you pay a small fee of 300 a year (advanced wildlife license) you can own crocodiles whithout prior experience, and this also applies to harder birds on the license, too.

 

[iamwhoiam]

basically every state has different rules on animals, with wa and tas being the most strict. the licensing in vic is pretty stupid anyways, if you pay a small fee of 300 a year (advanced wildlife license) you can own crocodiles whithout prior experience, and this also applies to harder birds on the license, too.

That's really bizarre. It sounds as if they just want the $$$ rather than being concerned about the care of the bird or other animal and the knowledge and experience of the caretaker.

 

[ChirpyMacaw]

That's really bizarre. It sounds as if they just want the $$$ rather than being concerned about the care of the bird or other animal and the knowledge and experience of the caretaker.

hit the nail on the head.

 

[iamwhoiam]

hit the nail on the head.

 

[fashionfobie]

From what I understand, there are two different government factions that regulate animal import. Parrots are allowed under the Department of Environment and Energy, within regulation. Parrots are not allowed under the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. I think there is even a third office involved with Border protection.

I brought my dog with me and pet import permits are acquired through the Agriculture department. The import of my dog was very costly, about $10,000 AUD after all the vet visit, plane tickets, and boarding in QT.

The birds allowed for import change, but parrots are banned for the most part. Zoo's can gain permits and there are other very rare exceptions. Pet parrot imports are banned, unless from NZ. This is why some of the less common parrots can be found in Australia at Zoos and the like. They also do exports.. remember that shady guy from Germany, you know the one who has 90% of the Sphinx macaws left on earth.. called the ACTP. The Australian gov gave him 100s of birds.

I wish they could change the system to allow some pet imports. The birds could go through screening and testing the same way other animals do. It should not be impossible to move with your family member just because they have feathers. To be honest, I think the environmental risks aren't as strongly considered as one may think. Australia has made and continues to make environmental blunders, they are far from perfect in that respect. The ban on parrot imports does good to help keep illegal poachers from taking birds from other habitats in S.America, Africa, etc.

It isn't a bad idea to strictly regulate imports. It is also a great idea to requires us to hold permits to have the birds. Regulation isn't a problem and it probably encourages proper husbandry. I just believe that prohibition doesn't really work.. because it encourages illegal trade with no protection to any of the birds.

I know this is a month old post, but I saw the article below and it made me want to write something.

Different country, but same point.
Vulture, eagle and sparrowhawk chicks from eggs smuggled by 'Pablo Escobar of the egg trade' hatched | Daily Mail Online

 

[Shezbug]

I was talking to a bird collector/breeder a few weeks ago who said he has imported a breeding pair of GW Macaws from somewhere in the US some time over the last ten years. He said it was very costly and stressful and he would not go through it again due to how difficult and costly it was.
I do believe you can import birds to Australia but it is not very easy or cost effective.
I have heard through the grapevine (my step mother knows someone who is friends with the purchaser of the GW pair) that the breeding pair of birds he imported were sold on for somewhere between $60-80K and from what he said when I was talking to him about it I guess this is approx what it cost him to import them after all the vet checks and quarantine requirements.

 

[ChirpyMacaw]

I was talking to a bird collector/breeder a few weeks ago who said he has imported a breeding pair of GW Macaws from somewhere in the US some time over the last ten years. He said it was very costly and stressful and he would not go through it again due to how difficult and costly it was.
I do believe you can import birds to Australia but it is not very easy or cost effective.
I have heard through the grapevine (my step mother knows someone who is friends with the purchaser of the GW pair) that the breeding pair of birds he imported were sold on for somewhere between $60-80K and from what he said when I was talking to him about it I guess this is approx what it cost him to import them after all the vet checks and quarantine requirements.

i'm guessing it was for new blood then, most greenwing pairs bred here cost i'd say 25k at the max, though if it was closer to the ten years mark it would definitely change the pricing, to what i'd assume to be closer to 40k or so, give or take a few thousands.

 

[Shezbug]

Yeah, the only thing I can think of is that the hassle and price was simply for the new blood as you say. It really made no sense to me that anyone would pay so much but when thinking about the lack of genetic variety here, I can only assume adding to the gene pool is what the whole point of this was?

 

[camelotshadow]

We have no imports allowed and parrots like Red Fan/ Hawk Head are very very rare and only really advertised in breeder circles. The last pair of Hy's went for over 60K I believe to an unknown person as they were sourced by a broker for the person who wished to stay anonymous. We have limited breeding stock of exotic birds due to no imports (I think there is a way around this but it is very very expensive with no guarantee of how your bird is being looked after at the quarantine facility) being allowed in for many many years.

A pair was stolen a few years ago. There was a $50K reward...There dna is recorded & all babies can be traced but I suppose they could sell them under the table..There are very few under 12 breeding pairs or less. I don't think they will allow any non native birds to be taken into the country & then you are right the quarantine would be a long hardship for them not to mention expensive.

 

[camelotshadow]

That's really bizarre. It sounds as if they just want the $$$ rather than being concerned about the care of the bird or other animal and the knowledge and experience of the caretaker.

Ohhh money talks down under...They won;t let you retire there unless you deposit $750,000 into there bank///

 

[Shezbug]

Ohhh money talks down under...They won;t let you retire there unless you deposit $750,000 into there bank///

Who’s bank? I can’t say I’ve ever heard this before but I do know that going into a retirement or nursing home can cost a lot depending on your personal situation.

 

[camelotshadow]

Who’s bank? I can’t say I’ve ever heard this before but I do know that going into a retirement or nursing home can cost a lot depending on your personal situation.

Bank of Australia///look it up under immigration///

 

[Shezbug]

Oh.... I didn’t think of the requirements for immigrants retiring.
Yes, I can totally believe that.
Our government seems to be pretty tough on everyone in regards to retirement, pensions and aged funding so I guess that makes complete sense.