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Authorities to Control Wildlife: 2022

Authorities To Control Wildlife issued between 1 January and 31 December 2022.

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

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

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

Information about this data

Number of animals

The data represents the maximum number of animals (wildlife) authorised for control by ATCWs granted between 1 January and 31 December 2022. 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, some non-lethal control options 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 in regards to any negative impact to the conservation status of the species, as well as to ensure significant animal welfare impacts are minimised.

In 2022 no ATCWs were issued for lethal control of any species listed as threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1986 or the Commonwealth Environment and Biodiversity Protection Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

ATCWs were issued for lethal control of two species (Australasian Gannets and Cape Barren Geese) which are listed marine species under the EPBC Act. The designated conservation status of both species is ‘least concern’.

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 take into account Victoria’s kangaroo population and ATCW data. Further information relating to harvesting of kangaroos under this program can be found at https://www.wildlife.vic.gov.au/our-wildlife/kangaroos/commercial-harvest-of-kangaroos.

Table 1: Authorities to Control Wildlife issued between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022

Lethal control

Non-lethal control

Species

# of ATCWs issued

Max. # authorised for lethal control

# of ATCWs issued

Max. # authorised for non-lethal control

Australasian Gannet

2

40

1

100

Australian Fur Seal

1

5

Australian Kestrel

1

2

1

20

Australian Magpie

19

411

5

212

Australian Magpie Lark

2

52

2

52

Australian Raven

78

2,237

4

141

Australian Shelduck

13

928

Australian White Ibis

10

839

2

70

Banded Lapwing

2

100

1

30

Black Kite

1

2

1

20

Black Swan

4

85

Black Wallaby

135

1,492

1

5

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike

2

20

Cape Barren Goose

12

415

Cattle Egret

1

50

1

20

Common Brushtail Possum

4

67

Common Ringtail Possum

1

25

Common Wombat

226

1,862

10

12

Crimson Rosella

14

410

3

100

Eastern Brown Snake

1

5

Eastern Grey Kangaroo

1,423

54,254

3

100

Eastern Rosella

9

186

1

10

Emu

25

452

Fairy Martin

2

94

Fallow Deer

16

2,990

Galah

23

1,197

6

2,650

Great Cormorant

4

25

Grey Butcherbird

1

2

Grey Teal

4

120

Grey-headed Flying-fox

4

4,665

Hog Deer

2

16

Koala

1

20

Laughing Kookaburra

3

4

Little Black Cormorant

2

10

Little Corella

32

1,410

12

4,220

Little Crow

2

30

Little Pied Cormorant

6

52

1

20

Little Raven

8

180

1

100

Long-billed Corella

15

1,015

15

11,715

Maned Duck

72

1,767

6

706

Masked Lapwing

10

145

4

60

Musk Lorikeet

24

1,310

Noisy Friarbird

7

127

Noisy Miner

7

212

3

4

Pacific Black Duck

16

702

5

591

Pied Currawong

14

275

Rainbow Lorikeet

26

1,345

Red Deer

10

840

Red Kangaroo

9

2,030

Red Wattlebird

5

210

Red-bellied Black Snake

1

5

Red-necked Wallaby

18

286

Rusa Deer

1

5

Sambar

14

2,070

Silver Gull

55

6,822

1

50

Silvereye

8

155

Straw-necked Ibis

3

127

2

70

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

24

1,485

9

3,415

Tiger Snake

1

5

Welcome Swallow

4

59

2

21

Western Grey Kangaroo

35

4,878

1

20

White-faced Heron

3

65

1

20

White-winged Chough

1

10

Yellow-throated Miner

2

225

Australasian Gannet and Cape Barren Goose: Listed marine species under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Conservation status is ‘Least Concern’.

Updated