Cross Breeds

Does anyone know when Australia plans to bring in the ban on importing the Bengal breed of Cats?

I want to take my bengal kitten home with me to Australia but don't know when the proposed ban will be enforced. I don't plan on moving back to Australia until i've finished uni in 3 years time but don't want to be caught short and not be able to bring my kitten home with me.

Public Comments

1. The only thing i could find was this http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23864112-5013605,00.html which suggests Bengals are okay if they are 5 or more generations removed from the wild ancestor. I have had personal correspondence from Tony Peacock (mentioned in that news article) about hybrids, mainly the Savannah which he proposes should be banned from Australia even if it is 5 generations removed. It had some weasel words and creative/out of context quoting in that made it misleading. Although that's a different breed, his organisation seems to be pushing for a ban on importing any breed derived from hybrids even it is F5 or more. I think the best bet is to contact one of the Australian cat registries. If they register Bengals they are likely to know when importation of new breeding stock will be banned. Some people have tried declaring them as domestic tabby cats to avoid import bans, but Bengals are fairly recognisable.
2. Under the legislation of Environment Australia, domestic / non-domestic animal hybrids e.g. bengal cats or wolf crosses are not eligible for import, unless they are proven to be 5th generation or more away from any pure-bred non-domestic ancestor. There's a wealth of info on this site:- http://www.bengalclassifieds.com/bengal-australia-import.htm
3. I assume you're in the US? Libbie Kerr is a Bengal breeder in Ohio who is familiar with exporting Bengals to Australia. You can contact her at libbiekerr@akerrsbengals.com
4. At the moment the only issue being debated is the (re)evaluation of the importation of Savannahs. Currently Bengals are ok provided they are at least F5. However keep an ear to the Australian news, because the RSPCA would like to ban *all* hybrids (see below). Also if Savannahs are banned, then those same people may try to generalize their success to all hybrids. There is a petition about the Savannah, asking Peter Garrett to examine the issue fairly: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-savannah-cat-breed.html I signed (even tho I'm a Bengal, not a Savannah owner...)