Review of the management of feral animals and their impact on ...

Lack <strong>of</strong> a Strategic Approach
Paul Josif, manager <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> L<strong>and</strong> & Sea Management Branch <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn L<strong>and</strong>
Council, sees a lack <strong>of</strong> a strategic approach towards <strong>feral</strong> animal control in <strong>the</strong>
Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory as one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> key problems. Vast tracts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory
fall under Aboriginal ownership, but <strong>the</strong>re are also large areas under unfenced
pastoral leases, <strong>and</strong> <strong>management</strong> needs to be co-ordinated across <strong>the</strong> whole area. At
present <strong>the</strong>re is no cohesive single strategy. Even within <strong>the</strong> NLC l<strong>and</strong>s <strong>the</strong>re is no
cohesive strategy <strong>and</strong> no funding to achieve such a strategy. With a strategy in place,
<strong>the</strong> communication problems described above could better be dealt with.
Inadequate funding
Feral animal control on remote Aboriginal l<strong>and</strong>s is very expensive <strong>and</strong> funding is not
adequate. Money is needed to survey <strong>the</strong> locations <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong>, to liase with <strong>the</strong>
communities, <strong>and</strong> to undertake control.
The Nor<strong>the</strong>rn L<strong>and</strong>s Council report calls for more funding, in <strong>the</strong> vicinity <strong>of</strong> $3.4
million per annum, to establish an Aboriginal L<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Sea Management Fund, to
consolidate <strong>the</strong> community-based ranger programs, which engage in weed, <strong>feral</strong>
animal <strong>and</strong> fire <strong>management</strong>. Most funding is at present grant-based <strong>and</strong> thus limited
in time. The same report identifies major gaps in regional facilitation. Of <strong>the</strong> major
issues gaps, <strong>the</strong> first one listed is <strong>feral</strong> animal <strong>management</strong>, ‘particularly <strong>the</strong> spread <strong>of</strong>
large ungulates <strong>and</strong> ants’. The major regional gaps are identified as ‘North East
Arnhem L<strong>and</strong>, Western Arnhem L<strong>and</strong>, <strong>the</strong> Vernon, <strong>the</strong> Gulf, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Barkly Regions’.
The manager <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> NLC L<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Sea Management Branch, Paul Josif, emphasises
investment as <strong>the</strong> key to better action. He says that all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> logistic <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r
problems could be more or less solved if <strong>the</strong> money were <strong>the</strong>re.
The valuing <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong>
The claim is <strong>of</strong>ten made that indigenous attitudes towards <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> differ
fundamantally from those <strong>of</strong> white Australians (Rose 1995). A contrast is drawn
between pest managers who want to see <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> eradicated, <strong>and</strong> indigenous
owners who want to see some rabbits, cats, camels, horses, buffaloes, pigs <strong>and</strong>
donkeys on <strong>the</strong>ir l<strong>and</strong>.
This difference in attitude is overstated. Many white Australians want to see <strong>feral</strong>
<strong>animals</strong> roaming free. Efforts by <strong>the</strong> NSW National Parks <strong>and</strong> Wildlife Service to
remove horses from Guy Fawkes National Park met with fierce public opposition
(Carru<strong>the</strong>rs 2000), including criticism from prominent radio host John Laws. A
European animal welfare group, <strong>the</strong> Franz Weber Foundation, has even established a
brumby sanctuary on Bonrock Station in <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory (Carru<strong>the</strong>rs 2000).
Feral buffalo are important to <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory tourist industry as Top End
icons, <strong>and</strong> prominent biologists, including Bill Freel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> David Bowman
(Bowman 2003) have argued that <strong>the</strong>y be tolerated in <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong>scape. Deer, camels,
<strong>and</strong> goats (on coastal headl<strong>and</strong>s), are also popular with large segments <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
population. Deer <strong>and</strong> pigs are sometimes released into national parks <strong>and</strong> state forests
to create future hunting opportunities. Many o<strong>the</strong>r examples could be given.
The core difference in values is really between those Australians who would like to
see <strong>the</strong> country rid <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong>, <strong>and</strong> those who would like to see some <strong>feral</strong>
<strong>animals</strong> running free. This difference cuts across social <strong>and</strong> ethnic lines. There are
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