25/03/2025
It's now been 8 years since myself and a small group of passionate western Australian reptile keepers began petitioning for change in h**petofauna keeping. Really important to push for these additions to the keepers list during this upcoming round of legislation revisions.n
**Important update**
The Association of Herpetology Western Australia have received information provided by the DBCA Director General, Stuart Smith, that the department anticipate imminent formal invitation for public consultation regarding the review of the WA h**petofauna keeping system and AHWA’s proposal for the addition of 26 new species to the keeping list. The consultation period is expected to commence around the end of March, though realistically this may be more like April with all factors considered.
Undoubtedly, Western Australian keepers experience the greatest limitations when compared with any other Australian mainland state or territory. This misalignment of legislation is exemplified by the current Western Australian keeping list. For example the Queensland keeping list is compromised of approximately 384 species, the New South Wales list 364 species, the Victoria list 170 species, South Australia list 183 species, while Western Australia maintains the smallest list by a significant margin, at 52 species.
If you’re a passionate Western Australian keeper, hobbiest, amateur or professional h**petologist, now is the time to speak up, have your say and show your support of the WA keeping community.
AHWA’s “2018 proposal for the Addition of New Species to the Current Western Australian Pet Keeping List” provides for the significant expansion of the current keeping list to include many native or endemic WA species currently being kept and bred in other states and territories.
The finalised dates of the prescribed public consultation are yet to be communicated by the DBCA however, we expect these details to be provided imminently.
For any further information, please message us through Facebook or email us directly.
