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Keeping Antelope in Victoria?

Discussion in 'Australia' started by campbelly94, 1 Aug 2015.

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  1. campbelly94

    campbelly94 New Member

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    Location:
    Warragul, Vic, Aus
    Hi,
    I'm just after any information on whether or not you can keep Antelope in Victoria? I love the Antelope and would love to keep and look after a herd of them.
    Does anyone know what size of property I would need? What permits? What sort of training would be required?

    Thanks in advance,
    James
     
  2. Rough

    Rough Well-Known Member

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    Did you have a specific species of antelope in mind? Many of your questions can be answered by a quick google search. I am only familiar with the NSW standards and licencing however you need to be specific in the species you wish to keep before embarking on such a task of keeping exotic ungulates.
     
  3. campbelly94

    campbelly94 New Member

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    Waterbuck is the species I had in mind
     
  4. Riley

    Riley Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Sorry to crush your dreams but doubt there is any chance of getting Waterbuck with only small numbers left in Australia and all of those are kept at zoos. You are probably more likely to be able to keep Blackbuck. I'm not sure about Victorian laws but they can be kept privately in most states. I know that Addax and Scimitar-horned Oryx can be kept in some states, again not sure about Victoria, but I can imagine these would be hard to come by.

    Hope this helps :)
     
  5. Monty

    Monty Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Not much chance of Waterbuck. Even Zoos like Altina have only been able to 2 males so far.

    I think Blackbuck are quite east to get in Victoria and the permits (if required) are a hell of a lot easier than NSW.

    Scimitar-horned Oryx may he possible as I believe Mary River Station still has about 400 and may sell some, if you are lucky. The permits may be an issue though, you will have to talk to the Vic government.
     
  6. MRJ

    MRJ Well-Known Member 15+ year member Premium Member

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    Unless the law has changed in recent years private people can keep blackbuck in Victoria. i know a couple of people who have kept them in the past.
     
  7. campbelly94

    campbelly94 New Member

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    What sort of size land would be needed to keep a herd of Scimitar Oryx privately? Do they require a specific environment?

    Thank you guys for the info, its very helpful!
     
  8. Astrobird

    Astrobird Well-Known Member

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    I think the laws have changed, remember Felix the Blackbuck that was living on a farm near Portland? He was caught up by the DPI and transferred to Mansfield Zoo because the farmer wasn't allowed to let him stay, roaming free on his property.
     
  9. Grant Rhino

    Grant Rhino Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I've been following this thread with interest over the past week, and I'm just so curious about why you want to keep waterbuck (or any other antelope)? Is it just for novelty sake or interest sake or is it for commercial reasons? I volunteer at Werribee Zoo, where we have waterbuck and I think they are a beautiful species - so I'm just curious.
     
  10. campbelly94

    campbelly94 New Member

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    I've actually always really loved Antelopes, especially Waterbuck, and I thought it would be so interesting to keep a small herd, and if it would be helpful to for any reason then that would just be even better

    I was actually at Werribee Zoo last weekend! I had an amazing time!
     
  11. Grant Rhino

    Grant Rhino Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Cool!!!

    That's a cool idea!

    The family group at Werribee have had a number of young in the past year or two - so they obviously have no trouble breeding them - which is a good sign.

    No idea about any of the legalities etc - good luck with it though!
     
  12. Bec.Surian

    Bec.Surian Well-Known Member

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    Waterbuck antelope are not an easy species to work with (for a private person without facilities to hold and handle them correctly) they are aggressive towards other species, each other & people.. Altina stated off with a private collection of animals - best antelope to start with I would say is blackbuck antelope, then I'd work through deer species for experience before tackling larger more dangerous and harder to contain animals.. Eland can jump 3m from a stand start etc