More changes are afoot regarding pet travel to Australia. Pet travelers relocating here have previously had three quarantine locations to choose from: Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Due to the ongoing threat of bushfires affecting the area surrounding Byford quarantine in Perth, however, Australian authorities have decided to permanently close this facility.
No need to worry, though -- this just means that pets entering Australia will now need to go to either Eastern Creek quarantine facility in Sydney or Spotswood quarantine facility in Melbourne. More information about these options can be found on the Australia Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) official website.
Regarding the decision, DAFF states that "staff and animal safety are the critical factors that have guided the decision to permanently close the facility." Though it will be inconvenient for some, the closure of the Perth facility is in the best interest of people and pets.
This news comes on the heels of another big Australia announcement; beginning Feb. 3, 2014, pets who follow updated import guidelines will now be able to serve a shorter quarantine period -- 10 days instead of 30.
No matter what your route or timeline is, moving pets to Australia will still require quite a bit of careful planning. If you have questions about how to safely move your pet to Australia, please contact PetRelocation, and as always, please keep in touch for more pet travel news updates!