Parks & Wildlife

Native Animal Keepers Licences are required to keep native birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles as pets. The following classes of licences are issued:

Bird keeper's licence: Required to keep native birds as pets. Issued in the following classes:
1) Basic Bird
2) Advanced Bird
3) Emu Endorsement

Reptile keeper's licence: Required to keep native reptiles as pets. Issued in the following classes:
1) Basic Reptile
2) Advanced Reptile, Non Venomous
3) Advanced Reptile, Venomous, Category 1
4) Advanced Reptile, Venomous, Category 2
5) Advanced Reptile, Venomous, Category 3

Amphibian keeper's licence: It's against the law to collect frogspawn, tadpoles or frogs from the wild, but with an NPWS licence you can still witness metamorphosis in action. Issued in the following classes:
1) Basic Amphibian
2) Advanced Amphibian

Mammal keeper's licence: Only three native mammals can be kept as pets in NSW: dingos, spinifex hopping-mice and plains rats. You'll need a licence for the last two of these. Issued in the following classes:
1) Basic Mammal

Go to our species list to find out which species you can keep as a companion animal. This licence type:

1) Is for five years and
2) Does not have any annual record keeping requirements
3) However, you must nominate the species of companion animal at the time of application

The interstate import and export of fauna is subject to monitoring and regulatory controls by the fauna protection agencies in all states and territories. Licences are issued in the following classes:
1) Licence to export protected fauna out of NSW
2) Licence to import protected fauna into NSW

You will require a licence under section 132C of the National Parks and Wildlife Act if you wish to undertake an activity for scientific, educational or conservation purposes, that is likely to result in one or more of the following:

1) Harm to any protected fauna, or to an animal that is a threatened species or is part of an endangered population or an endangered ecological community.
2) Harm to any protected native plant, or any plant that is a threatened species or is part of an endangered population or an endangered ecological community. You will need a licence if you plan to collect voucher specimens for identification purposes, pick cuttings or whole plants, or collect seed.
3) Damage to critical habitat.
4) Damage to a habitat of a threatened species, an endangered population or an endangered ecological community.

A number of other Wildlife licences are issued in NSW, these are:

For Property Owners and Developers
1) General Licence to harm flying-foxes (to orotecting commercial crops from flying-fox damage)
2) Occupier licences to harm native animals on private property
3) Licence to harm a threatened species, population or ecological community

Other Licences:
1) Licence to carry out taxidermy or hold preserved specimens of native fauna.
2) Licnce to use a prescribed substance to harm any bird in NSW
3) Licence to suitably qualified people to catch and release reptiles
4) Licences to carve or decorate emu eggs