Shark fin soup has been a traditional east Asian dish, symbolic of wealth and prestige, for several hundred years. In recent decades the popularity of shark fin soup has soared and the effect on wild shark populations has been disastrous. Shark fins are sourced from wild shark populations, usually by…
The answer is yes. Scientific evidence that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and suffering has been building for some years. It has now reached a point where the sentience of fish is acknowledged and recognised by leading scientists across the world. If we accept that fish are…
RSPCA Australia receives many enquiries about exotic animals such as monkeys, tigers and lions for sale over the internet. These animals are often advertised as babies using ‘cute’ photos with little information about the seller or the origin of the animal. Information on the location of the seller is usually limited…
The illegal wildlife trade is a multi-billion dollar global industry estimated to involve billions of individual animals [1, 2]. Wild animals are traded alive to be kept as pets or to be put on display or killed and their parts sold for consumption, traditional medicines, ornaments and jewellery. The trade…
In most states landholders have a legal obligation to control wild rabbits on their property as they are classed as a pest animal. There is a range of different methods used to control rabbits, however the RSPCA is concerned that none of these methods are without animal welfare problems and…
Recreational hunting causes inevitable pain and suffering to animals and is not an effective form of pest management. In the limited circumstances where shooting is carried out as part of a pest animal management program, professional marksmen have been shown to be more effective than recreational hunters. The RSPCA opposes…
The answer is yes. Recreational hunters have interfered with the effective control of pest animals in some areas, especially in state forests. Evidence from genetic studies has shown that pig hunters have illegally transported feral pigs into new areas. The national threat abatement plan for feral pigs states that “the…
The RSPCA does not support killing sharks as a response to shark incidents involving humans. This approach causes unnecessary animal suffering to both target and non-target species. In addition, culling disturbs marine ecosystems and affects protected and vulnerable species including the targeted great white shark and non-target species such as…
Water buffalo (Bubula bubalis) are large (450–1,180kg) wallowing herbivores that were introduced to Australia around the mid-1800s, for work and for their meat and hides. First introduced to Melville Island and Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, wild herds were seen from 1843. In the Northern Territory, buffalo hides and…
In the past, native animals could not be kept as companion animals unless a government permit was issued. However, over the past few years, some jurisdictions across Australia have allowed and continue to allow certain species of native animals to be kept as pets without requiring a permit. The RSPCA…