Media release : 1st July 2008
The Department of Agriculture and Food has produced a series of National Animal Pest Alerts to raise awareness about the risk of new invasive species establishing in Australia.
The pest alerts were produced with support from the Australian Government™s National Feral Animal Control Program and endorsed nationally by the Vertebrate Pests Committee and relevant state and territory authorities.
The new pest alerts cover the Indian ringneck parakeet, the house crow and the Indian myna, and are the first three of six to be produced in the collection. The next three will include the ferret, the rusa deer and the black-spined toad.
Department of Agriculture and Food technical officer Win Kirkpatrick said these alerts were designed to educate the public about the risks these pests posed to agriculture, the environment and the community.
“We need to raise community awareness about these emerging pest species and encourage the public to be vigilant because there is a great reliance on the public to report pest species,” she said.
Ms Kirkpatrick said the alerts had been produced using results from risk assessments conducted by the department.
“The animal pest alerts will be distributed nationally to all relevant government departments and wildlife authorities,” she said.
“Importantly, the pest alerts distinguish these non-native speciesfrom similar-looking natives and include background information, description, behaviour and their potential impact.”
Ms Kirkpatrick said information and pictures showing the house crow and Indian ringneck parakeet in the wild in Western Australia had also been included in the brochures.
“These are important species to focus our efforts on as they could be the next rabbit, fox or starling,” she said.
Ms Kirkpatrick said the public was encouraged to report any unusual sightings to the department™s Pest and Disease Information Service on freecall 1800 084 881.
The National Animal Pest Alerts can be obtained by downloading them from the department™s website www.agric.wa.gov.au and search under ‘pest alerts™.
Media Contacts
| Win Kirkpatrick, technical officer, | 9366 2322 |
|
Katrina Bonser/Lisa Bertram, media liaison |
9368 3937 / 9368 3325 |