PROPOSED QUARANTINE MEASURES FOR THE IMPORTATION OF ELEPHANT SEMEN FROM SINGAPORE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Conditions of Administration
Importation under these conditions is restricted to semen that has been collected from elephants resident in licensed or registered zoos in Singapore, the United States of America (USA) and Member States of the European Union (EU) for at least two years immediately prior to collection for export to Australia.
Permission to import must be obtained in writing from the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) prior to the export of the semen. The identification of each donor bull must be provided with the permit application.
Permission to import will also be required from the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (formerly the Department of the Environment and Water Resources) – DEWHA. The semen must be accompanied by a copy of the DEWHA permit and appropriate Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) documentation from the exporting country.
Details are available from the Director, Sustainable Wildlife Industries, telephone +61 2 6274 1900 or the DEWHA website .
Other conditions of administration, including details of import permit requirements and transport arrangements, are available from AQIS. Contact details are:
AQIS - Live Animal Imports
GPO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601
Phone +61 2 6272 4454
E-mail: Animal Imports
The full requirements can also be viewed on AQIS’ Import Conditions database (ICON) at the AQIS Website.
Documentation
Each consignment of semen will be accompanied by an original international veterinary certificate, in accord with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code (the Code) Appendix 4.1.3., signed by an Official Veterinarian* of the country of export. A consignment may consist of semen collected from one or more donors resident in the same zoo at the time of semen collection.
*Note: Official Veterinarian means a veterinarian authorised by the Veterinary Administration of the country to perform certain designated official tasks associated with animal health and/or public health and inspections of commodities and, when appropriate, to certify in conformity with the Certification Procedures of the Code.
The veterinary certificate
1. The veterinary certificate must:
- be written in English
- meet all requirements of the Veterinary certification section of these conditions
- provide the identification for each donor animal (name, microchip number, registration
number) and include the name and address of the importer and exporter and the AQIS
Import Permit number.
2. An Official Veterinarian of the Government Veterinary Administration must:
- provide a separate veterinary certificate for each consignment from each donor animal
- sign, date and stamp each page of the veterinary certificate and all documents,
eg laboratory reports that form part of the extended health certification with the stamp of
the government veterinary administration
- record his/her name, signature and contact details on the veterinary certificate.
3. AQIS will only accept copies of documents where each page bears the original signature, date and stamp of the Official Veterinarian.
Proposed Veterinary Certification for the importation of elephant semen
Certification
1. The semen has been collected from a donor or donors that has/have lived continuously in the
zoo in which collection took place for at least two years prior to the first collection of semen
for this consignment. The zoo has a health monitoring program in place and is under veterinary
supervision. The zoo is located in a country recognised by the OIE as a foot and mouth disease
(FMD) free country.
2. The donor(s) was healthy at the time of collection.
3. Bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) and tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) have not been diagnosed in any elephant in the zoo during the two years immediately prior to the first collection of semen for this consignment. Each elephant in the zoo has been tested for
tuberculosis using the Elephant TB STAT-PAK Assay during the twelve months immediately prior to semen collection.
4. Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) has not been diagnosed in any elephant in the zoo during the two years immediately prior to semen collection.
5. All equipment used to collect, process and store the semen and/or which comes in contact with the donor bull was new or thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and between collections. All biological products of animal origin used in the collection, processing and
storage of the semen were obtained from animals free from bovine tuberculosis and bovine brucellosis.
6. Frozen semen has been securely stored in a place and manner approved by the Official Veterinarian until export.