KZN now its your turn.

[Bushviper]

On Friday the 16th of January the new KZN nature conservation bill was published for comment. It is a right royal mess but what is important to us are the following.

Many indigenous animals which are listed have prohibited activities (basically what you will never be allowed to do) and then restricted activities which is what you can do if they give you a permit.

When it comes to reptiles the following apply
For example
Bitis gabonica, Gaboon viper, Zulu name: iNyoka Status Protected and Restricted activities are: Possess, breed, sell, make available for sale or otherwise trade in, buy, receive, give, donate or accept as a gift, or in any way acquire or dispose of, capture, collect, immobilise, kill, translocate, release, display, export, import.

These restrictions also apply to the following
Dendroaspis angusticeps Green mamba
Lycophidion pygmaeum Pygmy wolf snake
Python natalensis Southern African python
All Bradypodion. Dwarf chameleons
Cryptoblepharus africanus, African snake-eyed skink
Gerrhosaurus major Rough scaled plated lizard
Gerrhosaurus validus Giant plated lizard
All Scelotes
Tetradactylus breyeri Breyer’s long-tailed seps
Varanus albigularis Rock monitor
Varanus niloticus Water monitor
Crocodylus niloticus (wild populations)Nile crocodile (wild populations)
Caretta caretta Loggerhead turtle
Chelonia mydas Green turtle
Dermochelys coriacea Leatherback turtle
Eretmochelys imbricate Hawksbill turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea Olive ridley turtle
Stigmochelys pardalis Leopard tortoise
Kinixys zombensis South-eastern Bell's hinged tortoise
Kinixys natalensis Natal hinged tortoise
Kinixys spekeii Speke's hinged tortoise
Pelusios rhodesianus Black-bellied terrapin

Invertebrates
Opistophthalmus praedo Tugela Valley burrowing scorpion
Cheloctonus crassimanus depressus Flat thick-handed scorpion
Hadogenes trichiurus pallidus Tugela Valley flat rock scorpion

Augacephalus breyeri Mozambique golden-brown baboon spider
Augacephalus junodi Golden baboon spider
Brachionopus robustus Robust lesser baboon spider
Ceratogyrus darlingi African horned baboon spider
Harpactira curator Durban’s baboon spider
Idiothele mira Blue-foot baboon spider
Idiothele nigrofulva Black-spotted baboon spider

Then you will require a permit for ALL exotic mammals excluding laboratory rats and mice and a few domesticated species. This will include chinchillas, ferrets squirrels, hamsters, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, tenrecs, wolves, foxes etc.

You are only allowed to own the following invertebrates
Acheta domestica House cricket
Artemia salina x Artemia nyos Sea-Monkey (Hybrid brine shrimp)
Bombyx mori Domesticated silkmoth
Daphnia magna Water flea
Hirudo medicinalis European medicinal leech
Tenebrio molitor Mealworm

No super worms or cockroaches or any other invertebrates. Not even bees!!!

You will require a permit for ALL exotic reptiles and amphibians although there is a list of species for which you cannot get permits as they are forbidden (basically black listed) and these are:
Agama agama Common agama
Ameiva ameiva Ameiva
Anolis distichus Bark anole
Anolis carolinensis Green anole
Anolis cristatellus Crested anole
Anolis chlorocyanus Hispaniolan green anole
Anolis garmani Jamaican anole
Anolis equestris Knight anole
Anolis cybotes Large-headed anole
Anolis sagrei Brown anole
Basiliscus vittatus Basilisk lizard
Calotes versicolor Changeable lizard
Cnemidophorus lemniscatus Rainbow lizard
Ctenosaura pectinata Ctenosaur
Cyrtodactylus scaber Bent-toed gecko
Gehyra mutilata Stump-tailed gecko
Gekko gecko Tokay gecko
Hemidactylus brookii Brooks house gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus Chichak gecko
Hemidactylus garnotti Indo-Pacific gecko
Hemidactylus mabouia Tropical house gecko
Hemidactylus turcicus Mediterranean gecko
Iguana iguana Green iguana
Lamprolepis smaragdina Green tree skink
Leiocephalus schreibersi Hispaniolan curly-tailed lizard
Leiocephalus carinatus Northern curly-tailed lizard
Lepidodactylus lugubris Mourning gecko
Lipinia noctua Moth skink
Oplurus couvoii Collared lizard
Oplurus cuvieri Madagascar spiny-tailed iguana
Oplurus cyclurus Madagascan swift lizard
Phelsuma madagascariensis Madagascar day gecko
Phrynosoma cornutum Texas horned lizard
Podarcis muralis True wall lizard
Podarcis sicula Italian wall lizard
Sphaerodactylus argus Ocellated gecko
Tarentola mauritanica Moorish wall gecko
Trioceros melleri Meller’s chameleon
Acanthophis rugosus New guinea death adder
Bitis gabonica (extra-limital) Gaboon adder
Bitis nasicornis Nose-horned Viper
Bitis rhinoceros Rhinoceros viper
Boa constrictor constrictor Boa constrictor
Boiga irregularis Brown tree snake
Daboia russelli Russell’s viper
Dendroaspis jamesoni jamesoni Jameson’s green mamba
Dendroaspis viridus Western green mamba
Elaphe gutata gutata Corn snakes
Lachesis muta Bushmaster
Leioheterodon geayi Malagasy speckled hog-nosed snake
Leioheterodon madagascariensis Malagasy giant hog-nosed snake
Morelia spilota (or M. spilotes spilotes) Diamond python
Naja pallida Red spitting cobra
Natrix natrix Viperine snake
Python molurus bivittatus Burmese python
Python sebae Northern African python, northern African rock python
Ramphotyphlops braminus Brahminy blind snake
Spillotes pullatus Tiger ratsnake
Geochelone sulcata Spur-thighed tortoise
Apalone spinifera Spiny softshell terrapin
Chelydra serpentina Common snapping turtle
Chrysemys scripta Red-eared terrapin
Chrysemys picta Painted turtle
Cuora flavomarginata Chinese box terrapin
Emys orbicularis European pond terrapin
Macrochelys temminckii Aligator snapping turtle
Pelodiscus sinensis Chinese softshell terrapin
Trachemys species Trachemys slider species
Caiman crocodiles Common caiman

Arachnids
Family Theraphosidae All alien species of tarantula spiders
Order Scorpionida All alien species of scorpion

I dont know who to contact or where to complain or where you could even get the original documents.
The people from ARK etc will take this further and I would suggest that each and every one of you get involved. Write meaningful letters and do not make threats or explain to them how stupid they are but be rational and as scientific as possible. You have until the end of the month.

Good luck. This is not my fight this time. I am just the bearer of bad news. Do not contact me for more information or questions. I cannot help you.

[fires]

Link that was send to me : http://www.petitions24.com/petition_aga ... ion_in_kzn

[Jedi Biscuit]

When you say gaboons are on the list, I know that for West African Gaboons you didn't need a permit for, has it changed for them now?

[Gabriel Martinez]

A lot of restrictions with snakes in KZN (as Northern Cape). This shows that many people keep captive snakes there or probably sell them so it´s not bad to protect strongly at least your most rare species to avoid that they become more and more endangered...

[Westley Price]

To be honest, I have no issue with the indigenous restrictions, and even the fact that keepers would need a permit for exotics, but the list of "black listed" species is not acceptable.

[ragner]

We don't mind logical conservation efforts but some of these are illogical and ignorant.
Lachesis muta potential to become invasive? OMG

[Bushviper]

The people who drew up this legislation are clueless. For example they cannot enact legislation covering animals which are already legislated in a national act. For example if you want to keep a green iguana in any province and you get a permit from Environmental affairs in accordance with the Biodiversity act then the provincial legislation is no longer valid.

If an animal is listed as a TOPS species then all provincial legislation regarding that species becomes meaningless so why even try legislate lions etc.

Expecting a little kid to apply for a permit to keep a hamster borders on absurd. Applying for a permit to keep certain fish is ludicrous. The fish might just die on the way home?

From experience with their permit system they are possibly 3 years behind issuing permits as it is. To now try and issue for the hundreds of thousands of birds, fish, plants, insects, reptiles and mammals will be impossible. Even if they employ 100 people and they work three eight hour shifts per day they will never be able to issue all the permits required each year.

They cannot even look after their rhino properly and now they want to regulate the invertebrates of the province and list 11 various chafer beetles, a whole bunch of robber flies, 53 species of earthworm ( I dare a single parks board official to identify each one) and 88 species of millipede. Seriously?

I understand that we need to protect our wildlife and if the Board does its work we will get there. However with corruption, nepotism and just a general lack of managerial skills trying to deflect this by publishing a long document which has virtually zero value that does not mean that they are justified in accepting their salaries.

I feel sorry for the people who live in that province because you have a massive battle on your hands. If the officials do not know what is in the constitution, the biodiversity act, the freedom of information act, the criminal procedure act just to begin with then you have no hope of getting through to them.

[Ruan Stander]

Hahaha ! What a joke, I fully agree with you Westley.
Clueless however like Bushviper says.

Good luck KZN, you have my sympathy. Better dispose of all those illegal earthworms before they catch you.

[rmack]

Any news regarding this bill?