Hunt for exotic pest turtles in Toowoomba waterways
Published Tuesday, 29 April, 2014 at 02:15 PM
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
The Honourable John McVeigh
Biosecurity Queensland and Toowoomba Regional Council have commenced a hunt for exotic pest turtles to protect local fauna, following Australia’s first discovery of a Chinese stripe-necked turtle.
The turtle was suspected of being dumped in Toowoomba’s Bicentennial Waterbird Habitat.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh said a Chinese stripe-necked turtle plus nine non-native turtles were recently found during a recent fauna assessment.
“Biosecurity Queensland and the Toowoomba Regional Council will today begin monitoring the ponds to see if any more pest turtles are present,” Mr McVeigh said.
“It’s the first time a Chinese stripe-necked turtle has been found in Australia, and we need to ensure it doesn’t have an opportunity to breed and spread.
“This turtle is a Class 1 pest because it can prey on native animals, compete with them for space in the wild, and may also carry diseases that can spread to native animals.
“It’s illegal to keep exotic animals such as this turtle in Queensland without a permit. For someone to have dumped one in our waterways is very irresponsible.
“Under the previous Labor Government, handling of biosecurity concerns was not up to scratch. This government is working hard to ensure that our agriculture sector and our waterways are healthy which is vital for our State’s growth.”
Toowoomba Regional Council Mayor Paul Antonio said it was likely the turtle was an unwanted pet dumped into the waterway.
“Any dumping of exotic pets into local reserves or parks poses a major threat to Australian fauna. People need to think about the repercussions of their actions,” Cr Antonio said.
“Council is working with Biosecurity Queensland to check if any other turtles have been dumped.”
Turtle experts from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection will assist with the monitoring to identify native turtles.
Members of the public should report any knowledge or sightings of exotic animals to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.
More information on Chinese stripe-necked turtles:
[ENDS] 29 April 2014
Media Contact: Louise Gillis 0408 709 160