NEWS
ACRES IN THE NEWS
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Today
24 February 2006
Wildlife laws amended?
Letter from Louis Ng
President and Executive Director
Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres)
I refer to the article “OK to keep pet shark without a licence?” 23 February. Section 5 of the Wild Animals and Birds clearly states that “Any person who kills, takes or keeps any wild animal or bird, other than those specified in the Schedule, without a licence shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and to the forfeiture of the wild animal or bird.” The Schedule only lists six species of birds.
Can the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) clarify if this Act has been recently amended or has sharks been included in the Schedule, thereby allowing people to keep these animals without a license?
If indeed the Act has been amended, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) is very disturbed by this. It is undoubtedly dangerous to allow people to keep any type of sharks, especially since some (eg. nurse sharks) can grow to about four metres in length. There are clearly animal welfare concerns as well since most sharks are adapted to life in the open sea.
Acres firmly believes that to not regulate the keeping of carnivorous sharks will potentially have severe consequences.
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