Is It Legal to Have a Pet Hedgehog in New Zealand
Hedgehogs have been shown to be an important predator on riverbed breeding bird eggs, such as ringed yellow and black-fronted tern, and are known to kill and eat the chicks of a variety of ground-nesting birds. Many people are skeptical about keeping hedgehogs as pets because they look intimidating and because they are often illegal. Some countries and states do not allow people to house hedgehogs. But what about New Zealand? Are hedgehogs legal in New Zealand or not? In the Mackenzie Basin, hedgehogs were found to be responsible for one in five predator attacks on nests. These sea creatures are not as common in New Zealand, and those that are available are sold at high prices. Unfortunately, young turtles have died because the keepers did not take sufficient care of them. Hedgehogs are exotic animals in many places, which is why one wonders where they are allowed. In New Zealand, you can keep hedgehogs as pets. Hedgehogs are native to New Zealand, and that`s why you can keep them as pets. If you return to New Zealand after more than 21 months of absence or if you move here for the first time, you may not have to pay the 15% GST. The customs officer processing your application will check if you have to pay GST. It is preferable to bait traps, although a well-placed trap can still catch hedgehogs without bait.
Food for fish cats or freshly killed rabbit or chicken is excellent but does not keep well. A more sustainable alternative is an egg that can stay whole or broken. Alternatively, two eggs can be used. Make a small hole in one egg to create a fragrance and leave the second egg whole to provide lasting visual bait. They are known to eat the native snail Wainuia urnusula. Lowland populations of Powelliphanta snails can also be severely affected, particularly the Patarau and Otaki subspecies. Only small (young) snails are eaten, but this greatly affects the recruitment and recovery of the population. While people may have the best intentions, they may break the law.
Communication (movement), display and release of pests are just some of the offences recognized by the Biosafety Act. The video on the right tells the story of the people of Glenorchy who wage a war against cute but deadly hedgehogs to save our native birds. In winter, hedgehogs hibernate. Winter caves are located under tree roots or deep dry litter, in rabbit burrows or other dry refuges. Male hedgehogs begin hibernation much earlier than females. Since arriving in New Zealand, the hedgehog has become slightly smaller and never reaches the size or weight of animals in the UK and continental Europe. Indeed, European animals must reach a larger size and weight to survive 6 months of hibernation. In central and southern New Zealand, hedgehogs hibernate for about three months of the year, but few hibernate in warmer northern parts of the country. Hedgehogs are therefore humanely controlled in many parts of New Zealand. DOC says on its website: “You can help stop hedgehogs, don`t encourage them in your garden by creating burrows for them or omitting milk. Install a trap appropriate to the situation you are in (suburban or rural)” and describes recommended trapping systems that kill traps.
[3] On the other hand, keeping a dog in New Zealand requires that you have the appropriate permit. However, there are certain types of dogs that you cannot keep as pets in New Zealand, including pit bulls. DOC has known about the effects of hedgehogs for several years, with time-lapse video footage providing evidence of their direct predation to ground-nesting birds in woven river systems. Besides hedgehogs, there are other legal pets in New Zealand. This country is diverse and includes many animals that can be kept as pets. Although the problem I face here is when it is. Legal? Or not? Hedgehogs are considered parasites more than anything else and as far as I know, nowhere does it say that you can legally own a hedgehog, but at the same time there doesn`t seem to be anything about illegality? Even official government websites say nothing about the fact that you are allowed to own them. Considering there are even hedgehog rescues in New Zealand, I guess they wouldn`t mind unless you bred them? (Which doesn`t interest me at all.) Another problem I have is where hedgehogs are available in New Zealand, whether from a breeder (if it`s even legal to breed them here) or rescue? If importing is a valid option, I would try to avoid it as much as possible as it “contributes to the population”, and I have heard that shipping hedgehogs can be extremely risky. I find it strange the lack of information about the legality of ownership for them? By 1972, they could have reached their maximum range.
[2] Today, hedgehogs are found in almost all habitats, including intertwined urban, rural, river and forest areas. The few areas where they do not occur are inhospitable environments such as above the permanent snow line and in the wettest parts of Fiordland. [5] The extent to which hedgehogs affect the New Zealand environment has only recently been fully understood. New Zealand has a unique population of rare and threatened birds and is free from a number of serious bird and poultry diseases. The importation of live birds is not permitted until the risks have been thoroughly assessed and a sanitary standard for import (IHS) has been developed. Wild boars, dogs, cats are predators of the hedgehog, and the endemic and flightless Weka and Pukeko will hunt the chicks. [2] The Australasian Weihenschaleich Strait has killed hedgehogs (as well as anything else killed on the roads), but it is not known if they actively hunt them. Animals that make legal pets in New Zealand include chinchillas, guinea pigs, mice, rats, cats and rabbits.
If you plan to keep farm animals as pets, you must follow certain city laws. Some farm animals you can keep as pets include pigs, goats, and llamas. Many people in New Zealand like to keep kites as pets. Dragons are widespread, such as the bearded dragon and the Australian dragon. Opossums, hedgehogs and mustelid species (weasels, stoats and ferrets) have been classified as pests for decades due to the destructive nature of their behavior and the impact on our native taonga – including native animal and plant species. For example, opossums can cause the death of native trees and precede chicks and eggs. They also interfere with primary production by being able to roam pastures and spread bovine tuberculosis. In many parts of New Zealand today, it is estimated that there are between 2 and 4 hedgehogs per hectare (in some areas, even 8). Their diet includes the eggs and chicks of ground-nesting birds, so they may already have contributed to the decline and extinction of up to fifteen bird species, posing a threat to the remaining bird species. [11] They also pose another threat to endangered native skinks. According to studies, the Department of Conservation (DOC), regional and local councils have now recognized the damage caused by hedgehogs and are now actively trying to manage their population.
[8] [9] Opossums and hedgehogs are identified as pests in the Council`s Auckland Regional Pest Management Strategy. The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) was introduced to New Zealand by British settlers in the 1870s to remind them of their homeland. They have spread throughout the country and are absent only in inhospitable environments. The general public has a sympathetic attitude towards them, but conservationists and regional councils consider them pests because they hunt native animals and compete with them for food. In addition to acclimatization, hedgehogs have also been introduced to control garden pests such as snails, snails and grass maggots. [3] Movement and runny nose are often heard before a hedgehog is spotted. Discussions about importing hedgehogs into New Zealand began as early as 1868. [1] The first documented introductions of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus occidentalis) were made in 1870 by the Canterbury Acclimatation Society, other introductions in 1871, 1885, 1890 and 1894. It is likely that they were all from the UK. [2] Probably borrowed from Estonian siil, proto-Finnish *siili, proto-Finno-Ugric *śijele. The hedgehog is a new introduction to most of Finland: the first reported sightings of hedgehogs off the southern coast date back to the second half of the 19th century.
The word is first attested in 1835 in the Kalevala. [1] Compare Erzya сеель (sejelʹ). Many people have a benevolent attitude towards these introduced predators that eat garden pests,[6] and some have made efforts to rescue hedgehogs. [7] The preferred habitat of hedgehogs is lowland grazing areas, and they become rarer with altitude. Although they were previously thought to be largely absent from extensive forests, recent studies show that they are regularly trapped in large forest areas (e.g. Trounson and Rotoiti) and found above the bush line in large forest areas such as the Kawekas. The original areas are not defended and can overlap with many others. Hedgehogs usually have several daytime nests, which are sometimes used by other hedgehogs when not occupied. Hedgehogs feed on endemic giant snails (Powelliphanta), the endemic species Wētā and various other native invertebrates. [6] The endangered Cromwell`s beetle (Prodontria lewisi) is threatened by predation by hedgehogs and other introduced species. [10] Hedgehogs are native to New Zealand and you don`t need a permit or license to keep them as pets. Therefore, hedgehogs are readily available in pet stores.
In New Zealand, you only need a permit if you want to keep wild animals or parasites. It is recommended to set hedgehog traps at the beginning of the breeding season of birds, when hedgehogs can be most harmful, and in autumn, when adult females can be targeted.