Animal rights groups have slammed a proposal by the Threatened Species Commissioner to relax rules preventing Australians from keeping native animals, like bandicoots or rare birds.

The comments, reported in The Australian, have attracted criticism from Humane Society International.

Nicola Beynon from the organisation said it was a ‘really bad idea’.

‘Native animals, they are wild animals they have really specialist needs they don’t belong in cages, hutches in people’s homes,’ she said.

‘Wildlife trade is one of the biggest threats to conservation.

‘Why would we open our Australian native wildlife to commercialisation? It’s a major problem we would end end up with illegal trade.’

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