Fauna Spotter Catcher

A fauna spotter catcher is an individual who works at the intersection of wildlife handling and heavy machinery on construction sites. These professionals are called in when workers on construction sites clear vegetation and accidentally interrupt native fauna.

For example, clearing brush could easily expose you to possums, skinks, bettongs, beehives, snakes, frogs, lizards, echidnas and more. These professionals are qualified and licensed to capture and release wildlife. They can also administer emergency euthanasia with the right permits.

Fauna spotting is quite a specialised service, so it can be hard to find professionals who successfully handle animal encounters that could easily turn dangerous. It’s important for construction site developers to clear the environment in a way that preserves the health and safety of Australian wildlife. Fauna spotter catchers help you do exactly this.

With a fauna spotter catcher protecting your site, you can have peace of mind that the fauna will be humanely relocated, causing minimal disruptions to their food, shelter and reproductive needs.

Sometimes, construction site developers will rely on fauna spotter catcher services after they have begun a project. However, this can be disruptive for local animals and time-consuming for projects. It is best for construction site management to hire a fauna spotter catcher prior to site clearing.

Many fauna spotter catchers have expertise in site construction to help developers preserve the natural balance of the land they are clearing.

To become a fauna spotter catcher, you must be licensed and qualified to handle specific types of wildlife. They should also be knowledgeable about the biological impacts of construction development and skilled in site evaluation.

Often, experienced ecologists who want to become a fauna spotter catcher will complete a nationally accredited course that provides learnings about safety standards in the mining and construction industry, legislative requirements for fauna management, and First Aid procedures, just to name a few.

However, fauna spotter catchers are usually far more experienced and pursue much more than this type of accreditation. Generally, wildlife spotters will:

• Have experience, both in theory and practice, handling wildlife
• Hold a motor vehicle licence
• Be vaccinated against the Australian Bat Lyssavirus
• Have an updated Tetanus vaccination
• Know how to handle venomous snakes
• Understand and be able to operate chainsaws

Have completed the Occupational Health and Safety Induction Training for the Construction Industry The good news is that land clearing is a requirement by local, state and federal legislation. As such, it’s unlikely that a project can proceed without the expertise of fauna spotter catcher services. You’ll need a professional fauna spotter catcher to inspect the site before clearing and to be present while the clearing operations occur.

Fauna spotter catcher services may differ from company to company. Generally, fauna spotter catcher companies will offer expertise in:

• Locating and identifying species using specialised tracking techniques (Elliot tracking, Cage trapping, Pitfall trapping etc.)
• Identifying suitable habitats for release
• Managing on-ground wildlife issues, including rare and threatened species
• Creating and providing custom-made nesting boxes of various sizes for installation
• Monitoring and reporting
• Pre-clearance site evaluations and surveys
• Fauna rescue and risk assessments
• Delivering post-clearing reports
• Ensuring that developers are complying with regulatory requirements