National Parks rescues native animals and warns of hefty fines

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service wildlife officer Rachel Baker seized more animals being kept without permits than she's ever had to before, on a road trip to the Western Downs and Maranoa last week.

The four seizures ranged from animals of least concern, such as kangaroos, to animals that are critically endangered, such as echidnas and wombats.

The latter was a puggle, or baby echidna, which was retrieved from an Irvingdale address at Dalby with the assistance of Dalby police.

According to Police Media, information was given to police and QWPS that an unauthorised person was attempting to care for the puggle, which caused concern for its welfare.

The rescued puggle was turned over to a wildlife rehabilitation facility, and Ms Baker said the QWPS was continuing its investigation into the matter.

"I've been with the department (of Environment and Science) for two years and this is the first time I've seen this high level of non-compliance," she said.

"Bushfires earlier in the year have driven animals out to where they interact with the public - people may have good intentions but they're not allowed to keep these animals.

"But not all offences were to do with fires - some had been kept for prolonged periods.

"It's very disappointing to see."

Ms Baker said the four seized animals were in mixed condition, with some not able to be released.

"They were not suitable for rehabilitation, either because of physical damage or because their wild behaviour had been altered in a way that the animal wouldn't survive in the wild," she said. "It's not something we like to see - two of animals had to be vet-assessed, and the other two handed to a licenced carer to give them their best chance."

She reiterated that unlawful wildlife activity will not be tolerated in Queensland and could result in the removal of animals, cancellation of wildlife permits, a hefty fine or court appearance.

Under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, section 88, taking a protected animal without lawful authority, a class 4 offence, carries a $774 fine or $15,480 maximum by magistrate.

The trip to Dalby, Tara, Chinchilla, Miles, Yuleba and Roma was a quarterly visit the department undertakes to undertake routine inspections on wildlife permit holders and to meet with community members and investigate alleged illegal activity.

DES program coordinator wildlife operations Warren Christensen said most Queenslanders do the right thing when it comes to caring for wildlife.

"In the past financial year, we have only issued three fines and three official warnings to rural community members," he said. "It's important that we meet regularly with local residents and authorities to hear what wildlife matters are affecting rural towns and how the department can manage or assist the community if required."

Ms Baker said they'd had a higher number of people reporting potential illegal activity than usual, which tied in with the need to undertake the quarterly inspection and education trip.

"If a person rescues an animal but doesn't have a permit to keep it, they should contact the department or go immediately to a vet or licenced wildlife carer," she said.

The 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625) Emergency Hotline can office advice or assistance in dealing with sick, injured or orphaned wildlife or connect callers with local wildlife carers.

Ms Baker also said it was important not to feed wildlife as it could impact their health or behaviour.

People have a 72 hour grace period but the sooner they were handed to the relevant authority the better.

Ms Baker said that overall, it had been great to get out and meet with stakeholders and police in towns along the way.

"We've got a lot of paperwork to go through now," she said.

"I expect more charges to be made, which could be formal warnings, a fine, or a court appearance.

"Basically, the message is, keeping wildlife as a pet is a no-no."