Transporting and Releasing Wildlife

Vegeta

Hey lads,

So based on this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056358270

and specifically this comment

Releasing a wild animal into a different environment is illegal without a permit from NPWS

Can anyone confirm or deny this?

I have posted in the other thread about selling wildlife but what if you're not selling them but just releasing them.

Is that legal or illegal?

clivej

As you say above it's not so much the sale of wild Fauna but

"Releasing a wild animal into a different environment is illegal without a permit from NPWS"

This is how an invasive species will start here in Ireland, I.E Muntjac, and the spread of any and all infectious disease's across the country, I.E Foot and Mouth and TB.

kildare.17hmr

surly catching a few rabbits and letting them out in another field would not be illegal?

Tackleberrywho

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

surly catching a few rabbits and letting them out in another field would not be illegal?

Licence to Keep an Injured or Disabled Protected Wild Animal
Under Section 23(6) of the Wildlife Act, 1976 (as amended) the Minister may grant a licence to a person to have in possession for a reasonable period of time an injured or disabled protected wild animal, or one or more than one dependant young of a protected wild animal which is orphaned with the intention of tending and later releasing such animal or young back into the wild when and only when such animal or young, as the case may be, is no longer injured, disabled or dependant.

To a person to retain possession of a protected wild animal, that for reasons of disability or for other reasons deemed reasonable by the Minister, would, if released, be unlikely to survive unaided in the wild.

Applications for permissions are made on a standard application form available from:

National Parks and Wildlife Service,
Main Street
Ballybay,
Co Monaghan.
Tel: 1800 - 405000

cavan shooter

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

surly catching a few rabbits and letting them out in another field would not be illegal?

Not if they are native species, ( I assume).

Otherwise we shouldnt release pheasants, duck. Now Turkeys???? still out on that one.

homerhop

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Licence to Keep an Injured or Disabled Protected Wild Animal
Under Section 23(6) of the Wildlife Act, 1976 (as amended) the Minister may grant a licence to a person to have in possession for a reasonable period of time an injured or disabled protected wild animal, or one or more than one dependant young of a protected wild animal which is orphaned with the intention of tending and later releasing such animal or young back into the wild when and only when such animal or young, as the case may be, is no longer injured, disabled or dependant.

To a person to retain possession of a protected wild animal, that for reasons of disability or for other reasons deemed reasonable by the Minister, would, if released, be unlikely to survive unaided in the wild.

Applications for permissions are made on a standard application form available from:

National Parks and Wildlife Service,
Main Street
Ballybay,
Co Monaghan.
Tel: 1800 - 405000

Tack thats for protected species not the likes of rabbits

Sparks

Tackleberrywho wrote: »

Licence to Keep an Injured or Disabled Protected Wild Animal

That's got nothing to do with the original question Tack, which wasn't anything to do with injured or disabled protected species.

clivej

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

surly catching a few rabbits and letting them out in another field would not be illegal?

And that's how farmers spread the "mixy" so I'd say yes it would be illegal.

kildare.17hmr

clivej wrote: »

And that's how farmers spread the "mixy" so I'd say yes it would be illegal.

really? Always wondered how they put mixi into an area!

Would have thought it was the same releasing duck or pheasant. Dont think anythin tack the Google master :-) quoted would apply here but i could be wrong.

Dont think anyone would take any notice of the op from the other thread if he was to catch a few bunnys and let them off into his fields. Place would prob be booming with them in a yr if left alone

homerhop

I asked the npws and the nargc this question last year about catching and releasing rabbits as well as foxes(debate that was going on in the animal pet forum about releasing rescue foxes) and have the replys sitting in my inbox. Will let a few other lads give their opinion on it and if possible where they were told then I will say what I was mailed.

Vegeta

I have yet to see anything in the Wildlife Act that says it is illegal but I too held the same belief as Tackleberrywho, that it was illegal.

Don't know why I believed that or where I heard it but that's the impression I had.

BattleCorp

I am not a solictior or an expert by any means but here's what I think.

The piece of legislation quoted "Section 45 of the Wildlife Act after the amendments made in 2000" seems only to refer to the sale or exchange of wildlife.

If the OP in the previous thread were to release rabbits that were given to him free of charge, I can't see how that would be illegal.

Rabbits are an indigenous species, not protected so I don't think it is illegal. I can't see how it could be illegal to let them out in a field but it's perfectly ok shoot them.

And as another poster has already said, there's no problem releasing pheasants, ducks etc.

Just my two cents.

Eddy Hill

BattleCorp wrote: »

I am not a solictior or an expert by any means but here's what I think.

The piece of legislation quoted "Section 45 of the Wildlife Act after the amendments made in 2000" seems only to refer to the sale or exchange of wildlife.

If the OP in the previous thread were to release rabbits that were given to him free of charge, I can't see how that would be illegal.

Rabbits are an indigenous species, not protected so I don't think it is illegal. I can't see how it could be illegal to let them out in a field but it's perfectly ok shoot them.

And as another poster has already said, there's no problem releasing pheasants, ducks etc.

Just my two cents.

This is my understanding too but to be sure to be sure I read the Wildlife Act and the Habitats Regs and called the local friendly NPWS officer
Rabbits are not a protected species or named in any of the Directive Annexes

There are curtailments on selling wildlife but none what so ever if you wish to give wildlife you have legally taken possession off (eg by hunting lawfully) to another I m sure many of us give away ducks/pheasants /some venison to friends -that is not an offence provided it is not being sold or offered for sale.