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Published by:
Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action
Date:
31 Mar 2022

Native wildlife is protected in Victoria under the Wildlife Act 1975 and it is illegal to kill, trap or disturb wildlife without a permit.

These permits are referred to as Authorities to Control Wildlife (ATCWs) and are issued when wildlife is causing damage to property, poses a risk to human health and safety or is negatively impacting other biodiversity values.

Important information about this data

Number of animals

The data represents the maximum number of animals authorised for control by ATCWs granted between 1 January and 31 December 2021. The actual number of animals that were controlled under each authorisation may be lower.

Non-lethal and lethal control

The Conservation Regulator requires applicants to demonstrate they have exhausted non-lethal options for the management of wildlife. Where non-lethal techniques are ineffective or impractical, lethal control may be necessary.

Not all non-lethal controls require an ATCW, for example installing fencing or netting to keep wildlife out of an area where they may be causing damage or removing old nests when there are no eggs or nesting birds present.

However, there are some non-lethal control options which do require an ATCW. Examples include trapping and relocating wildlife, deliberate use of noise, water or smoke to disrupt normal behaviours such as roosting or ushering macropods out of an area.

Threatened species

For species listed as threatened under Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 or the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999, permits for lethal control are generally not issued unless there is a significant and unavoidable risk to human health and safety and all non-lethal control options have been exhausted.

Applications to disturb or relocate threatened wildlife are given additional consideration to ensure any negative impact to the conservation status of the species, as well as significant animal welfare impacts are minimised.

In 2021, no ATCWs were issued for lethal control of any species listed as threatened under Victorian or Commonwealth legislation.

Kangaroo Harvesting Program

Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos harvested under the Kangaroo Harvesting Program are not included in the data below. Annual quotas for the Kangaroo Harvesting Program takes into account Victoria’s kangaroo population and ATCW data. Further information relating to harvesting of kangaroos under this program can be found on the commercial harvest of kangaroos page.

Table 1: ATCW issued between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021

Lethal control

Non-lethal control

Species
# of ATCWs issued
Max # authorised for lethal control
# of ATCWs issued
Max # authorised for non-lethal control

Australian Kestrel

1 2
Australian Magpie 20 363 8 60
Australian Magpie Lark 3 62 2 3
Australian Raven 79 2010 1 1
Australian Shelduck 12 999
Australian White Ibis 8 365 4 650
Bell Miner 1 70
Black Kite 1 20
Black Swan 4 70
Black Wallaby 93 925 2 105
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike 2 20
Cape Barren Goose 13 475
Chestnut Teal 1 5
Common Brushtail Possum 4 66
Common Ringtail Possum 2 40 1 4
Common Wombat 226 1675 3 4
Crimson Rosella 19 344 1 50
Eastern Brown Snake 2 4
Eastern Grey Kangaroo 1514 51 769 7 640
Eastern Rosella 6 120
Emu 40 571
Eurasian Coot 1 10
Fallow Deer 17 4550
Galah 37 1876 2 150
Great Cormorant 4 29
Grey Teal 5 55
Hog Deer 4 35
Koala 2 2
Little Black Cormorant 2 30
Little Corella 32 1555 5 2100
Little Crow 1 10
Little Pied Cormorant 6 59
Little Raven 9 225 1 50
Long-billed Corella 16 1100 7 2600
Lowland Copperhead 3 6
Maned Duck 93 2195 3 150
Masked Lapwing 22 201 1 50
Musk Lorikeet 7 430
Noisy Friarbird 6 112
Noisy Miner 23 1702 2 21
Pacific Black Duck 21 454
Pied Currawong 14 245
Rainbow Lorikeet 6 180
Red Deer 9 480
Red Kangaroo 15 8560
Red Wattlebird 10 277
Red-bellied Black Snake 3 6
Red-necked Wallaby 25 360
Rusa Deer 1 28
Sambar 10 8400
Satin Bowerbird 1 10
Silver Gull

28

2445
Silvereye 9 160
Straw-necked Ibis 6 134
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo 40 1639 4 770
Tiger Snake 3 6
Welcome Swallow 8 597
Western Grey Kangaroo 44 4774
White-faced Heron 4 39
Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo 1 50