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Fauna Permits

Fauna Permits such as keep and sell, destruction, rescue, hunting and take from the wild are administered by our Fauna Permits Unit.

Most native animals in South Australia are protected and cannot be taken from the wild without an appropriate permit. The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 provides for a permit system to keep native animals (including mammals, birds and reptiles) in captivity. The Permit System provides a framework that identifies legally acquired native animals and allows the detection of those animals that have been illegally acquired and brought into captivity.

The keeping and trading in native animals has the potential to impact on wild populations unless there are systems in place to ensure accountability for the legal possession of animals and the manner in which they are managed. The Department for Environment and Heritage promotes fair and reasonable access to wildlife within parameters which address the conservation status of species, proper accountability for possession and appropriate standards of husbandry.

South Australia promotes the concept of private people being able to keep any species of native animal as long as the animal is legally acquired and the person has sufficient experience and knowledge and appropriate facilities to keep the animal. There is no prohibited list of animals in South Australia however due to the difficulties of keeping some species, permits are only issued to zoos and wildlife parks.  The Permit System to keep and sell native fauna has been in operation since the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 was assented to on 3 July 1972.

The Permit System is regularly reviewed and revised to keep it relevant to changes in community attitudes, the conservation status of individual species, and its abundance in captivity.