Tiny, helpless, unweaned orphans found on the streets, brought into care and bottle fed to health by willing volunteers. Once grown, the now affectionate, socialised pets are desexed and placed with families looking for indoor only companions.
Sounds like the work of pretty much all rescue groups, no?
Now imagine this was to be made illegal by the government. These animals are now deemed ‘controlled pests’ and anyone found helping them becomes a target of fines of $8,500. The people who own these animals can keep the ones they have, but no new registration permits will be granted. These pets will die out in a single generation, and those babies on the streets? They will be on their own.
This is the reality being faced by one of NSW’s favourite animal rescue groups. Sydney Fox Rescue has seen massive success saving, rehabilitating and placing urban pet foxes. This week the NSW Parliament put forward in parliament the Proposed (European Red Fox) Pest Control Order 2014. The laws will make saving infant foxes an offence, as well as keeping one as a pet.
The new legislation assert that these foxes have parasites (not if they’re treated for parasites just like a dog or cat), carry the risk of rabies (no more than an urban dog or cat) and detrimentally impact the environment (no more than a dog or a cat kept indoors).
And therein lies the danger. If the government can make it illegal to save or keep an animal on grounds which are no more or less likely than our own favourite domestic animals – dogs and cats – then under the current climate of wild dog and feral cat ‘eradication’ programs, there is no reason why these kinds of laws couldn’t be passed effecting any rescue who work with unowned strays.
Certainly banning dogs or cats seems unlikely. Not because keeping these animals is any different than an urban, indoor fox, but simply because banning them would be harder to do. But it could certainly be a precursor to the future of cat or dog ownership. Regardless of your feelings on foxes as a species, if laws can be passed based on risks that simply don’t exist, then anyone’s pet could be the next to be deemed expendable.
Please show your solidarity for Sydney Fox Rescue by signing their petition (yes, I know I normally pooh-pooh petitions, but in this instance it is a way of demonstrating community support), and visiting their Facebook page and leaving a message.
Fighting these laws isn’t just about foxes, but ensuring that compassion and the rights of individual creatures is respected. Animal rescuers, regardless of species, need to do all we can to defend the value of a life.
Unacceptable
That’s just a stupid new law, fox rescue is doing a great job in NSW and I wish we were allowed to do the same in our state. This is a knee jerk reaction by some fool.
This is sick. Talk about turning humanity into cold uncaring society. Are we to teach our children to turn our back on helpless animals? This will teach them to be as equally uncaring when it comes to other people in need. People need to learn more kindness and compassion not to just leave them to die slow horrible deaths. Yes they were introduced long ago as were many other species there is nothing that can be done about it now they are everywhere they will continue to survive no matter how many horrible way the government’s comes up with to kill them, they can’t check every crevice of our land to ensure they got them all! I wonder just how many native animals are killed every year due to baiting??? I’m sure the numbers would be horrific.
Hi,
We have too much cruelty to animals in Australia. It is time to make some animal rights laws which include ALL the animals, even fish! We also have so-called “baiting” here in Queensland, it is rubbish and is wiping out NATIVE ANIMALS as well as anything alse that accidently comes across these baits, and our neighbour lost two domestic dogs because of these crazy people dropping poison around the place.
……But there is no rabies in Australia. The closest is Lyssa Virus, but as far as I know, that’s only carried by bats.
Please do not stop the Fox Rescue people from doing such a wonderful job. Foxes are beautiful animals – as a pet they are no different from a dog or a cat. PLEASE listen to the people who’ve signed this petition & are talking sense! PLEASE!