Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

NATURE CONSERVATION ACT 2014 - SECT 132

    (1)     A person commits an offence if—

        (a)     the person takes an animal, whether dead or alive; and

        (b)     the animal is a native animal.

Maximum penalty: 100 penalty units, imprisonment for 1 year or both.

Note     Take —see s 126.

    (2)     A person commits an offence if—

        (a)     the person takes an animal, whether dead or alive; and

        (b)     the animal—

              (i)     is a native animal; and

              (ii)     has special protection status.

Maximum penalty: 200 penalty units, imprisonment for 2 years or both.

Note     Special protection status —see s 109.

    (3)     This section does not apply to a person if the animal is suffering from a disease, illness or injury and the person takes the animal to give it to—

        (a)     a conservation officer; or

        (b)     a veterinary practitioner; or

        (c)     someone licensed to keep the animal.

Note     Nature conservation licence —see s 262.

    (4)     This section does not apply to a person if—

        (a)     the animal is a fish that—

              (i)     has special protection status; or

              (ii)     is a protected native species; and

        (b)     the conduct constituting the offence is consistent with a native species conservation plan for the animal.

Note 1     Native species conservation plan , for a native species—see s 115.

Note 2     The defendant has an evidential burden in relation to the matters mentioned in s (3) and s (4) (see Criminal Code

, s 58).

    (5)     A person also has the benefit of the chapter 6 exceptions for an offence against this section.

Note     The chapter 6 exceptions are set out in s 153.