Wildlife displayer licence guide

Visit Wildlife Regulations 2024

An overview of what you can and can’t do under a wildlife displayer licence can be found at Wildlife licences in Victoria.

A key goal of Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 is for Victorians to value nature. This aligns with the purpose of wildlife displayer licences, which is to promote an understanding of the ecology and conservation of wildlife.

As passionate advocates for biodiversity, ecology and conservation, wildlife displayers have an important role in connecting Victorians with nature.

Wildlife displayer licences are created under the Wildlife Act 1975 (Wildlife Act) and the Wildlife Regulations 2024. A wildlife displayer licence allows the holder to:

• Keep and display wildlife that is listed on the licence in permanent and fixed facilities at the specified premises, for the purpose of promoting the conservation of or providing education about wildlife. This means the enclosure must be an integral part of the display, have a clear conservation theme and present information on the ecological role of the wildlife being displayed. Wildlife displayers are sometimes referred to as private zoos or wildlife parks.
• Keep and temporarily display wildlife listed on the licence at any location within Victoria in mobile demonstrations. This must be for the purpose of promoting the conservation of or providing education about wildlife.
• Provide wildlife for use in commercial films.

By enabling the Victorian community to encounter, learn about, and experience wildlife expressing natural behaviours, wildlife displayers can help foster a deeper appreciation of the natural environment in the community and inspire positive action towards wildlife conservation.

This guide outlines the legal requirements of a wildlife displayer licence and sets out the objectives of each requirement, providing information about how to comply with relevant legislation and the licence conditions. This guidance stipulates where an action is mandatory to meet the conditions of a wildlife displayer licence, such as where guidance specifies an action ‘must’ occur.

In some instances, the information is not mandatory but intended to assist licence holders in understanding their entitlements, how they can comply and indicate best practice, such as where guidance specifies an action ‘should’, may’, or ‘can’ occur. This guidance also indicates options on how licence holders might comply with conditions where there are multiple viable methods to meet the obligation.

• See Wildlife licences in Victoria
• Visit Protecting Victoria's Environment – Biodiversity 2037(opens in a new window)

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