The Nationals Spokesman for Natural Resources Peter Hall said the State Government should move to a full program of aerial baiting for wild dogs after details of an embarrassing mistake with the level of poison used in the first trial.Mr Hall said that trials conducted in New South Wales had already found that aerial baiting was a legitimate technique for controlling wild dogs and it was unlikely to have an impact on the quoll population.
The Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) this week confirmed that an error during preparation resulted in baits used in a Victorian trial failing to contain enough 1080 poison to kill wild dogs. DPI plans to re-run the trial in November but Mr Hall supports a full program of aerial baiting as soon as practical.
“The mix up over the baits is embarrassing because it looks like DPI has been feeding the dogs rather than killing them,” Mr Hall said.
“There’s no point criticising DPI over human error – a mistake has been made but we have to move on and introduce a full program of aerial baiting.
“There is already evidence available from trials in northern and southern New South Wales and the longer we wait, the more native animals and domestic stock that are killed by wild dogs.
“As part of a comprehensive program of trapping, shooting and exclusion fencing, the aerial baiting will allow Victorian DPI officers to target dogs in areas that are difficult to access, particularly in East Gippsland and the North-East.
“The State Government should stop wasting time and move immediately to implement a full program of aerial baiting while retaining all other initiatives to control wild dogs.
“There is widespread community support for aerial baiting and as land manager of vast areas of public land, the State Government has a responsibility to control pests on ‘their’ property.”
8 comments:
"Their land" happens to be OUR LAND - On the contrary, we would find that there is widespread community abhorrence at the thought of aerial baiting of our State and National Parks. Are you aware that the dingo has passed all criteria to be included on the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act? Before you call for baiting of the remnant keystone eco modulating species, how about calling for a survey into actual numbers in existence?
What a pedomorphic reaction to a problem which is all man made, if you can’t make a dollar let’s kill it and why not with a horrific poison such as 1080.
In stead of spending millions of Victorian tax payers dollars trying to solve a small problem why not legislate that all farmers have feral proof fencing on their boundaries, this will not only stop any wild dog from entering their property but will give the farmers something to do instead of complaining.
Congratulations for supporting the extermination of an ecologically crucial Australian species.
I think it makes a lot of sense to spend millions of tax payer dollars on dangerous 1080 baiting programs aimed at eradicating animals that keep our wildlife in balance and cause less livestock losses than monthly live export trips.
I'm sure you know who I won't be voting for.
Thanks for your feedback Ma, Dann and Dimitrije.
Aerial baiting is dedicated at killing off wild dogs.
I suspect that few if any pure breed dingoes actually exist in the Victorian high country.
These wild dogs are killing native animals and birds as well as sheep and cattle.
Mr Hall, that "pure breed dingoes" are rare in the Victorian high country is a good reason NOT to bait, as it would destroy what is left of them.
Additionally, scientific research (in particularily by David Jenkins) has shown that dingoes with a few domestic dog genes, which you call "wild dogs", still fill the same ecological niche that pure dingoes do. They do not decimate native wildlife, but actually keep it healthy by preying on the weak and overpopulating, and by driving out introduced species such as foxes, feral cats and pigs.
The tax money wasted on poisoning our wildlife would be better spent on compensating farmers for depredation losses and/or providing them with non lethal protection measures such as exclusion fencing, guardian animals and rubber bullets. Maremma guardian dogs in particular have been proven to be highly effective by a farmer in Queensland running some 12,000 sheep.
The government calls them critically endangered in one breath then wants to exterminate them. Ridiculous!
I wonder what will happen if a child gets its hands on one of the baits?
Or perhaps a family pet?
Hi Peter
Well done to the baiting.Let's just hope it is done right this time. Some people do not realise the heartache at finding maimed sheep and now calves that we have to destroy. These are wild dogs not dingos. They go on a killing spree sometimes just for the fun of it and not eating what they have maimed. There was a dog that was electronically tagged and the batery wnet flat so they lost the dog. This is not good either for us farmers. This dog travelled from Talangatta to Benambra and beyond but is now lost.
yes to baiting
"Some people do not realise the heartache at finding maimed sheep and now calves that we have to destroy."
Is it the same kind of heartache you feel when the regular livestock is sent to the slaughterhouse? Or perhaps when you find your dog whimpering at your door, dying from an ingested 1080 bait?
"These are wild dogs not dingos."
I'll state once again that whether "wild dogs" or pure dingoes, they are scientifically proven to be an essential part of the ecosystem that must be protected, unless you want an overpopulation of kangaroos, wallabies, foxes, feral cats and pigs to moan about later.
"Wild dogs" and dingoes have been shot, trapped and baited for many decades and the only significant achievment it has ever made is an imbalance in our ecosystems. It simply makes no sense to keep going. There are other more effective ways of dealing with livestock losses than bombarding our parks with dangerous poison and exterminating keystone species.
There are enlightened farmers out there who have realized it is their responsibility to protect their livestock while living with the land instead of fighting it. They have solved their depredation problems by building exclusion fencing where feasible and by buying guardian animals. It is the least any farmer can do to pay his/her rent for staying and making a living on Australian soil.
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