Unit 2 : Risky business

Risk assessment guidelines for keeping and importing exotic animals play an extremely important role in assessing and reducing the likelihood of an introduced animal establishing a wild population and causing a negative impact on the environment, people and the Australian economy. 

Risky Business provides four scenarios for students to examine and respond to. Using a risk assessment model, students recognise that there is a potential for new pest species to establish in Australia and that the consequences could be disastrous.

Student outcomes

Students will be able to:

• recognise that some imported animals have the capacity to become a pest;
• understand that domestic, exotic, livestock and medical research animals already within Australia have the capacity to become a pest;
• investigate the many levels of risk associated with the importing and keeping of exotic animals;
• apply criteria that have been developed to assess the potential for an exotic species to become a pest; and
• understand that risk assessment processes play an important role in reducing the likelihood of new species establishing as a pest in Australia.

Activities in this unit

A risky business - Giraffe

Assess the potential of giraffes becoming a pest in Australia. Submit a detailed report to Biosecurity Australia outlining the results of your research.

A risky business - American bobcat

Assess the potential of bobcats becoming a pest in Australia. Submit a detailed report to Biosecurity Australia outlining the results of your research.

A risky business - Rhesus monkey

Assess the potential of the escaped Rhesus monkeys becoming an established pest in Australia. Submit a detailed report to the National Vertebrate Pests Committee outlining the results of your research.

A risky business - Red-billed Quelea

Assess the potential of red-billed quelea becoming a pest in Australia. Submit a detailed report to Biosecurity Australia outlining the results of your research.