We had a "pet" water dragon, that was sunbathing in and around our pool. Would come to the door for food, and occasionally swim with us. Our neighbour had a snake catcher remove some lizards from her garden. Now "our" lizard in not showing any more. Is removal of Water Dragon from their habitat ( usual place ) illegal?
Our Neighbour Had Water Dragon Removed That Was Visiting Our Pool from Time to Time
cameldownunder on 15/10/2019 - 15:32
Comments
Are you actually asking if you have some sort of ownership rights to a wild (native?) animal that may or may not have been relocated by a presumably professional and law-abiding animal handler?
law-abiding animal handler
Anyone happen to know the actual law? A less charitable observer might assume the animal handler would be willing to bend the law in exchange for money…
Nope, I know I have no ownership of the Lizzie, othertwise I would have called the sheriff or police and have her arrested for abduction.
Our neighbour had a snake catcher remove some lizards from her garden.
Well within her rights. It's a bit freaky looking if you ask me.
I am willing to pay a 10% finders fee for the missing water dragon !
Not illegal at all. It would need to be relocated back into nature.
face palm
replace it with a python :)
Mayve a blue tongue lizard :-) Like the idea.
or a German Shepherd
What sort of weirdo has lizards removed?
Law 1732 (B) clearly states "All water lizards will be left to their own decives otherwise the crown will hath no mercy"
needs ms paint
the question is if they had a right to remove the animal legally.
btw its not your pet if its a native animal. cant have it both ways
Read "Pet" as sort of pet: a freindly bush buddy who appears on her own will, comes to the door of her own will, and swimms in the pool, without being forced. Never been trapped. Was just nice to have a Weird Wild Animal to get the kids interested Australian wildlife.
This isn’t really a stupid question despite all the stupid comments. In Victoria it is unlawful to relocate possums.
I don’t know the answer though.
I agree. This was hardly a stupid question. As much as I love the casual banter on many threads, sometimes it can be unnecessarily forced.
I consider myself fortunate to live in a neighborhood where suburbia hasn't completely eliminated the local fauna. We get all sorts of visitors to our yard.
We were devastated when we realised that that a blue-tongue that had decided to spend much of its time in our yard had disappeared - most likely run afoul of one of the local felines.
I'm not sure why someone would feel the need to have them removed. Unless there were literally dozens of them "infesting" their yard and causing hygiene issues, then removing them from their local habitat is just plain mean.
removing them from their local habitat is just plain mean.
A lizard removed from a back yard, as important to themselves as an individual as they are, is a complete diversion from the reality of wholesale habitat destruction by humans. Any flight above or drive through the countryside is endless pasture - complete habitat destruction for countless indigenous animals to support introduced species which are only there to be shot dead in their youth anyway.
Undersea internet cables kill countless animals and laying them destroys habitat. Why are you OK with that?
@[Deactivated]: I don't think I ever said I am OK with that.
But let me put something to you: I am OK with the fact that when I drive there is a risk I will kill someone, and that every year a thousand people will die on the road. I am not OK with running people over intentionally.
So…
the law you are looking for is s2.5 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. But most animal handlers will have licences under this law allowing them to catch wildlife.That's a shame. Lizards are harmless and I'd love to have one visit my backyard from time to time.
This sounds like some sort of pokemon problem.
I hope your neighbour had a good reason and used a proper wildlife catcher…
Did they mention any reasoning ? Lizards don’t do anything.
Maybe keep the bug population under control.
Anyway it’s a wild animal nothing you can do unless you have evidence it was removed by a snake catcher from air tasker and not someone legit
You shouldn't have been feeding it, they become dependent on humans when they find repetition in feeding and end up struggling to survive once the food source is removed, (or they are removed). They can also become aggressive when they expect humans to feed them and this expectation is not met.
Not to mention the risk of disease. I doubt your pool water is good for the animals complexion either.Pool water is mostly on the "no chlorine" side.When there was high chlorine content, the lizard did not go in.
Re feeding, you probably right that I should not feed it. Become dependant? Guess not.
Sadly we live in an era when every second person is petrified of anything that isn't manufactured or sold. Our garden is as wild as I can make it, we have green tree snakes, frogs, carpet snakes, possums, nightjars, carpenter bees, carpet lizards, and probably a whole lot of other critters I can't name but love anyway - they have more right to be here than us. But 'some people, you just can't reach'.
Rip up your garden and put down some nice plastic lawn, sit back and inhale the fumes rising off it on a hot day - this is a thing in so many schools now. FFS.
We have 'pet' Blue tongue that hibernates in our side shed and is fabulous for keeping snails in control in the garden. Every so often he/she(?) will disappear when food source runs out, to forage neighbours gardens, sometimes weeks at a time. it will occasionally hiss at the dog but has lived here for about 6-7 years. Used to run and hide when it saw us but now just keeps sun baking. I have never fed it.
Your water dragon may have been scared off and may choose to return but don't feed it-it's a wild creature who chooses to co-habit with you.I have a couple of water dragons I feed every day.
I am really fond of them and am now scared because a neighbors cat has started wandering through my yard regularly, on the prowl.
It has already killed a large skink.
Having said that I think doubt volunteer snake catchers would touch a Water dragon.The horrible thing is, that I saw the neighbour ( the nasty wife ) chatting with a snake catcher, when I took my daughter to school.
But never never never in my mind I thought she would have the water dragon removed.Well, she is what she is: a selfish, nasty bitch. And I feel sorry for her husband, as he is one of the most nice person I have met. Ever !
P.S. They are selling, and I wont need to see her anymore !
Unfortunately, you had as much ownership over that now departed water dragon as I had over the juvenile blue tongue lizard I once found in my kitchen trying to drink from my dog's water fountain.
Yes, can you post a MS Paint?