Should we keep native animals as pets? Rob from Rewilding Australia shares his view

Should we keep native animals as pets? Rob from Rewilding Australia shares his view

ANIMAL conservation advocate Rob Brewster believes that people should be putting as much effort into looking after Australia’s wildlife as they do when taking care of their own pets.

Mr Brewster, who works for Rewilding Australia, lives in Sydney’s east where he looks after a number of possums, offering them refuge away from predators like cats and foxes.

Rewilding Australia is helping to combat the high extinction rate of our native wildlife and support the recovery of threatened species by inviting these cute Aussie animals into our everyday lives.

Cats pose a major threat to already endangered Australian species and Mr Brewster is urging those looking to purchase a furry friend to consider the impact that it can have on native animals.

“The cat, which is Australia’s most damaging land mammal to native species, you can walk down to a pet shop and buy one but if you did that with a possum or a quoll or a bandicoot you could end up with a very big fine,” he told news.com.au.

“So I think the paradigm is kind of wrong and we need to change it in some way.”

While Mr Brewster doesn’t think native animals should be kept as household pets, he says that encouraging them into your backyard with food and offering them shelter is a great way an individual can help protect Australia’s wildlife.

But it is important to make sure that you aren’t feeding them anything that could be potentially harmful.

Possums enjoy snacking on native fruits and flowers but it is also okay to offer a small variety of carrot, sweet potato and apple.

Mr Brewster also has a number of nesting boxes in different places around his yard, which he says is another way to invite native animals and be able to experience them up-close.

If you want to help people like Rob Brewster continue their work in preserving Australia’s native wildlife and ecosystem you can donate to the Rewilding Australia Public Fund.