The minister is considering granting a permit to Mr Mijuskovic of Dandenong North, VIC, to export one (1) male and one (1) female Eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus) to Bosnia.

The applicant has been in possession of one of the birds for over 7 years and the other for over 3 years. Over this time the birds have developed a strong bond with their owner. Previous separation in the past has caused the male bird to exhibit stressed behavior in the form of appetite loss and feather picking, which upon examination by a veterinarian was shown to be behavioral. The applicant is an Australian citizen, however due to personal circumstances has lost his family support network in Australia and now must return to Bosnia. He wishes to care for the birds as household pets in Bosnia and does not intend to breed or sell the birds.

Should the permit be granted conditions will be imposed which specify that:

• The owner/exporter of the bird(s) specified on this permit, has been given permission to export the bird(s) on the basis that the bird(s) and any progeny are kept overseas by the owner/exporter as a pet and will not be sold, traded or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

This permit may only be issued if exceptional circumstances exist, and the export would not be contrary to the objects of Part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. You are invited to provide comments on the proposal to issue this permit, and any comments will be taken into account in making the decision. Comments close 20 March 2009.

Please address any comments to: