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

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In some situations, payment <strong>of</strong> a fee for control can be justified. The Nor<strong>the</strong>rn L<strong>and</strong>s Council report argues for an ‘on country fee for service’ for environmental <strong>management</strong> services. In <strong>the</strong> Tanami Desert, cats need controlling to conserve rare bilbies, <strong>and</strong> local Aborigines are skilled at hunting <strong>the</strong>m (R. Paltridge pers. comm.) They could be paid a fee for this service, just as white rangers are paid to control o<strong>the</strong>r pests. On Jawoyn l<strong>and</strong>s near Ka<strong>the</strong>rine, <strong>feral</strong> buffalo are multiplying rapidly but <strong>the</strong> manager is waiting for prices to rise to earlier levels before agreeing to a muster (R. Whear pers. comm.). If <strong>the</strong> community could be paid <strong>the</strong> price differential, control could be achieved now for a relatively low price. Conclusions Paul Josif <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> NLC sees lack <strong>of</strong> money <strong>and</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> a strategic approach as <strong>the</strong> two main barriers to better control over <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> on Indigenous l<strong>and</strong>s. In <strong>the</strong> past, too much emphasis has been placed on differing cultural values, whereby Aboriginal people are assumed to want <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> on <strong>the</strong>ir l<strong>and</strong>. The real problem is a lack <strong>of</strong> funding to demonstrate <strong>the</strong> harm done by <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong>, to explain <strong>the</strong> merits <strong>of</strong> control programs, <strong>and</strong> to do <strong>the</strong> actual control. Many communities already want some culling but lack <strong>the</strong> necessary resources. Markets for <strong>feral</strong> animal products should be sought where possible, but <strong>the</strong>se will always remain limited. Economic exploitation <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> will do little to solve <strong>the</strong> <strong>feral</strong> animal problem, except in a few areas. The key region for attention is <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory, from <strong>the</strong> Victoria River Basin to <strong>the</strong> Top End <strong>and</strong> south to <strong>the</strong> Gulf Country, because <strong>the</strong> rugged l<strong>and</strong>scape provides refuge for large numbers <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> <strong>and</strong> limits access by <strong>the</strong> traditional owners. Buffaloes, donkeys, horses, pigs (<strong>and</strong> in certain locations banteng <strong>and</strong> dogs – see Section 7) are <strong>the</strong> pests having most <strong>impact</strong> in this region. Outside <strong>of</strong> this area, camel numbers are a major problem on Indigenous l<strong>and</strong>s in desert <strong>and</strong> semidesert regions (Section 7), <strong>and</strong> pigs are a dire concern on Cape York Peninsula (Section 7). 7.2.2 New industries Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> growing pest problems in <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s have been created or made worse by new industries. Deer farming as an industry has directly or indirectly led to <strong>the</strong> creation <strong>of</strong> 127 new <strong>feral</strong> deer populations <strong>of</strong> four species spread across four states. In New South Wales <strong>the</strong> <strong>feral</strong> goat problem has been worsened by <strong>the</strong> introduction <strong>of</strong> a new goat breed from Africa, <strong>the</strong> boar goat, resulting in larger, hardier <strong>and</strong> more damaging <strong>feral</strong> goats. The buffalo problem is likely to worsen in <strong>the</strong> same way from imported new buffalo breeds. In central Australia <strong>the</strong> camel industry has discouraged culling by arguing unrealistically that camels are a valuable resource. Less significant, though still <strong>of</strong> real concern, are recent releases onto unfenced l<strong>and</strong> on Cape York Peninsula <strong>of</strong> buffalo, deer <strong>and</strong> blackbuck antelope by two enterprises engaging (or trying to engage) in big game hunting. Escapes <strong>and</strong> releases from Ostrich farms may also be creating new <strong>feral</strong> populations (Section 3) but information is limited. O<strong>the</strong>r pest problems have arisen from <strong>the</strong> promotion <strong>of</strong> yabby farming <strong>and</strong> neem trees, <strong>and</strong> problems seem likely to arise from olive <strong>and</strong> snail farming as well. [yabbies have formed many <strong>feral</strong> populations in Western Australia as a consequence <strong>of</strong> escapes from farm dams (Low 2002) <strong>and</strong> Neem is becoming a serious weed in <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory <strong>and</strong> north-western Queensl<strong>and</strong>. Olives are major weeds in South Australia.] 178
All <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se new industries have been promoted by government. The Rural Industries Research <strong>and</strong> Development Corporation (RIRDC) has promoted deer, ostrich <strong>and</strong> buffalo farming, <strong>and</strong> in 2004 <strong>the</strong>y produced a major report: Safari Hunting <strong>of</strong> Australian Exotic Wild Game (Dryden & Craig-Smith 2004). The Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory Government is supporting <strong>the</strong> camel industry, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Queensl<strong>and</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Primary Industries has bred <strong>feral</strong> goats with African Boer goats to create hybrids (www.dpi.qld.au/news/newsreleases/8970.html), which are adding to <strong>the</strong> goat problem. Their fast growing hybrids are meant to be farmed, but <strong>the</strong>y have also become part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>feral</strong> goat problem, contributing to its genetic diversity <strong>and</strong> ultimate destructiveness. Buffalo breeders have imported river buffalo to breed with Australia’s swamp buffalo, seeking improved growth rates <strong>and</strong> milk production in captive Buffalo, <strong>and</strong> when some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir hybrid buffalo escape into <strong>the</strong> wild <strong>the</strong>y will broaden <strong>the</strong> genetic diversity <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> populations. Because commodity prices are declining, farmers are <strong>of</strong>ten urged to diversify into new enterprises. The proponents <strong>of</strong> alternative enterprises are <strong>of</strong>ten very upbeat about <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>its to be made. A 1978 book on deer farming, Gold on Four Feet, claimed that deer would return seven times <strong>the</strong> income <strong>of</strong> traditional livestock, <strong>and</strong> talked about yearly pr<strong>of</strong>its in <strong>the</strong> range <strong>of</strong> $100 000 to $200 000 (Anderson 1978). The RIRDC report on big game hunting claims (page vii) that ‘this is a potentially very lucrative market segment’. When <strong>the</strong> deer, ostrich (<strong>and</strong> emu) industries were in <strong>the</strong>ir early growth phase, prices paid for stock were very high because farmers were selling breeding stock to new farmers. These early prices created unrealistic expectations about long term pr<strong>of</strong>itability. When prices inevitably crashed, <strong>and</strong> markets for deer <strong>and</strong> ostrich products proved more elusive than promised, many farmers found <strong>the</strong>y had stock <strong>the</strong>y could not afford to maintain. Deer <strong>and</strong> ostriches were released, or <strong>the</strong>y escaped when fences were not maintained. The St<strong>and</strong>ing Committee on Agriculture (1980) expressed <strong>the</strong> view that escapes from deer farms would be <strong>of</strong> little consequence <strong>and</strong> would not result in deer exp<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong>ir range (Jesser 2005). But deer farms account for 77 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>feral</strong> herds found today (Moriarty 2004). In truth, <strong>the</strong> problem was predictable. Anderson’s 1978 book on deer farming had much to say about deer knocking down <strong>and</strong> leaping over fences. It was inevitable that prices would crash <strong>and</strong> farmers would be caught with more stock than <strong>the</strong>y could afford to feed. Anderson warned in 1978 that deer prices would fall when <strong>the</strong>ir numbers rose. Problems like <strong>the</strong>se will keep recurring unless governments put in place forwardthinking policies. New industries should be subjected to risk assessment protocols to ensure that new pest problems do not arise. Preventing pest problems should be a core goal <strong>of</strong> new enterprises where any such risk may be posed. At present, RIDC <strong>and</strong> state departments <strong>of</strong> agriculture promote new enterprises with little or no concern for any pest problems that may ensue. Pest concerns are left for o<strong>the</strong>r departments to deal with. L<strong>and</strong>holders in Australia today are expected to practise ecologically sustainable development, but governments promote new enterprises with no such constraints. If Boer goats had been subjected to a risk assessment <strong>the</strong>y might not have been released, because it might well have predicted that <strong>the</strong>y would do Australia more harm than good. A risk assessment on deer might have led to some constraints on where deer could be farmed (as applies in New Zeal<strong>and</strong>) <strong>and</strong> which species could be used, <strong>and</strong> 179
Page 1:
Review of<
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Contributors Andrew Norris Pest Ani
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3.7.36 Common Myna (Acridot
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Table of figures F
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Section 2 Introduction Feral <stron
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Amanda Dimmock, QD
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Section 3 A status review o
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3.4 Birds Thirteen (or 14) species
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Information on the
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Summary A rodent that contributes t
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Dingoes can become a threat to wild
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The significance of</strong
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macropods and b<st
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^Lasiorhinus krefftii North
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Perceived threat Geopsittacus occid
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conservation areas. It is less clea
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Table 8 Rare species found in <stro
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Competition Several examples are re
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In truth, camels do substantial dam
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the Tanami. Buffal
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The situation today Buffalo numbers
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qualify under IUCN criteria as enda
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3.7.16 Goat (Capra hircus) Summary
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Drakonorchis drakeoides Hinged Drag
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3.7.19 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Su
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Impacts Much is known about <strong
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Distribution Ostriches have won <st
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nest in tree hollows along
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Distribution The skylark is found i
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Distribution The blackbird is wides
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Land, and<
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have been translocated to o
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esources. Significant investment in
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many native species (Clarke et al.
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spread across the
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Section 4 Legislative framework 4.1
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protection, as long as it falls wit
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Native Vegetation Conservation Act
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ehabilitate existing native vegetat
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suppression, which is the</
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al. 1986, 1987). The use of
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5.1.4 Mustering Commercial musterin
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etal. (1997) found that many native
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the vaccine <stron
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Where possible, integration <strong
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strategy, relative cost-effectivene
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Fencing Feral buffalo have a reputa
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5.3 Management of
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Summary of <strong
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time comes for the
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Summary of <strong
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Individual tracking Tracking is a l
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SA - Currently cats are not widely
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Method of control
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Aerial shooting Aerial shooting can
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Summary of <strong
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80% of export was
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ensuring effective treatment <stron
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the lower cost, wi
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5.8 Management of
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conservation value rathe</s
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effort on the cont
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5.9 Management of
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follow transect lines, one kilometr
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as a refuge from predators. Removal
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Summary of <strong
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was completed it was the</s
Page 136 and 137: warren structure amenable to recolo
Page 138 and 139: Poisons Traditionally, strychnine,
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Page 142 and 143: of high priority.
Page 144 and 145: Method of control
Page 146 and 147: 5.11 Management of
Page 148 and 149: technique can allow for cost-effect
Page 150 and 151: Summary of <strong
Page 152 and 153: In South Australia, between 30 <str
Page 154 and 155: Summary of <strong
Page 156 and 157: % respondents 100% 90% 80% 70% 60%
Page 158 and 159: a) b) Figure 3. a) Extent o
Page 160 and 161: Figure 4 Response frequency for lik
Page 162 and 163: distribution of <s
Page 164 and 165: Section 7 Key problems and<
Page 166 and 167: • Goats degrading temperate woodl
Page 168 and 169: conservation problems in Europe <st
Page 170 and 171: message that camels are a valuable
Page 172 and 173: In the Koolatong R
Page 174 and 175: environmental degradation’ (Nor<s
Page 176 and 177: ecause dingo and d
Page 178 and 179: Various control methods have been a
Page 180 and 181: Pascale Taplin, an Indigenous L<str
Page 182 and 183: Lack of a Strategi
Page 184 and 185: eradicated after seeing the
Page 188 and 189: could have led to better protocols
Page 190 and 191: Game hunting is a growing business,
Page 192 and 193: Much as we might like it, t
Page 194 and 195: conservation outcome. In such a sit
Page 196 and 197: community consultation and<
Page 198 and 199: • Have the non-t
Page 200 and 201: provide opportunities for strategic
Page 202 and 203: Section 9 Priorities for investment
Page 204 and 205: contacted for exact locations <stro
Page 206 and 207: way. Achilles heel research should
Page 208 and 209: efficient in any given situation. R
Page 210 and 211: west Queensland re
Page 212 and 213: Crossland, MR, 199
Page 214 and 215: Forsyth, DM, and P
Page 216 and 217: Lange, RT, and Gra
Page 218 and 219: Morgan, LA and But
Page 220 and 221: Parkes, JP, 1990, Feral goat contro
Page 222 and 223: Van Rensberg, PJJ, Skinner, JD, <st
Page 224 and 225: Appendix A Ferals animals</
Page 226 and 227: Indigenous lands I
Page 228 and 229: Appendix B Stakeholder survey form
Page 230 and 231: 222
Page 232 and 233: 224
Page 234 and 235: 226
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Appendix C Database on past NHT fun
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Lachlan Rehabilitation of</
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Northern Territory
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Cape York Ambiilmungu-Ngarra tradit
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Wet Tropics Expansion and</
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Avon Protecting and</strong
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