Animal pests - birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians - policy and management

Page last updated: Wednesday, 9 August 2023 - 1:56pm

Please note: This content may be out of date and is currently under review.

Information on policy and management concerning vertebrate animals in Western Australia and risks of emerging pest animals.

  • Please allow ten days for import permit applications to be processed.

  • Please note that no further applications for assessments of new vertebrate species or re-assessment of current declarations are being accepted due to the number of species currently awaiting assessment.

Animal pests of agriculture and environment

Non-native and native animals can cause problems for agriculture and the environment and the community. For these reasons they may be declared pests under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act) administered by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

The impact of animal pests can be minimised by:

  • preventing the entry of new pest species to the State
  • removing small populations of pests found here
  • minimising the impact of widespread pests
  • raising awareness of the management of vertebrate pest animals.

Legislation

All animals declared under the BAM Act are listed in the Western Australian Organism List (WAOL). This list provides information on how each animal is managed under the Act. Any species not listed on WAOL is prohibited in Western Australia.

Obtaining and keeping declared animals for display or as pets or in aviculture

Which animals can I import and keep?

Information on the import and management of declared animals is available from DPIRD website - Importing and keeping introduced mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians in Western Australia and the Western Australian Organism List (WAOL).

Many declared animals will require an import permit to enter WA and a permit or licence to keep the animal. Import application forms can be downloaded from Invasive Species permits, applications and fees. Licenses to keep birds which are Restricted Keeping under the BAM Act are available from Wildlife Licensing at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

Any species not listed on WAOL must be assessed by DPIRD and approved before it can be imported and kept in WA.

Inspections at state airports and road checkpoints

All animals entering the state are subject to inspection by DPIRD. Quarantine Inspectors check all but a small list of familiar animals to confirm the identity of a species and to ensure that appropriate permits or licences are in place.

Surveillance for animal pests

DPIRD needs the support of community and industry to detect new pest species early to prevent the establishment of invasive pests in WA. To highlight the risks posed by emerging or indicative pest animals information is available for the following species:

Unwanted animals

It is an offence to release unwanted animals into the wild. Unwanted animals should be surrended to a responsible organisation or person and not released into the environment. Every attempt is made to safely re-house animals surrendered to DPIRD and other responsible organisations.

Contact information

Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS)
+61 (0)8 9368 3080
Win Kirkpatrick
+61 (0)8 9363 4061