FERAL RUSA DEER AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE REGION

Pest Animal and Weed Symposium 2019 Jess Bracks (Ecosure) & Bree Galbraith (Gympie Regional Council) Location

Gympie Regional Council Area Project Location – Lower Wonga Study Area Study Area Background

• Four species of feral deer are known to be present in the

• Rusa are the most ecologically suited deer to the region – highest risk

• Potential for rapid population growth and spread

• Regular reports / complaints of impacts

• Biosecurity & Social drivers for control

• Rural and Rural-residential setting - Community acceptance and buy-in critical to effective control Roadkill Rusa in Project Area Background

Project Population Believed to have potential for localised eradication due to: • Relatively new incursion – farm escapees • Suspected low numbers and isolated population. Importance of engagement

Deer are often considered favourably by the public

GRC predicted polarised views on the management of this population

Potential negative views would become both a Corporate and Management Risk

Need and Value of Engagement = Success

Community meeting

• Presentations

• Q&A

• Facilitated break-out groups

• Citizen Data Collection

• Survey

Community meeting results

58 local residents, property owners and land managers Almost all participants supportive of a control program Many expressed a sense of urgency to commence control: - while numbers were apparently low - to reduce current impacts and risks - limit potential risks and - before the population became unmanageable

Some conditional provided that: - control would be humane - closely regulated to manage safety risk - meat is not wasted Survey results

Overall objective:

Reduce Feral Rusa Deer in the project area with the aim of local eradication to mitigate impacts on the community and environment.

Important to be:

• Safe • Humane • Ethical • Collaborative • Monitored and evaluated Multicriteria Decision Analysis

Each management option assessed as H / M / L for:

• Animal welfare • Human safety • Feasibility • Cost • Community perception • Potential for resource recovery Management options

Management option Overall suitability for the Widgee - Lower Wonga area

Aerial shooting L

Chemical sedation L

Recreational hunting L

Trapping M

Exclusion fencing M

Aversion M

Lure to designated management location (euthanase in situ) H

Ground shooting H Community Involvement

• Land access

• Implement control methods (GBO)

• Monitoring and reporting Control Project Progress Council, landholders and contractors are implementing the Strategy.

Progress towards annual strategic goals is on track:

Monitoring indicates the feral Rusa population appears to be centred in the project area ➢ ~25 individuals identified in thermal/spotlight surveying and none at the extremities of the area

13 Rusa removed during Council control actions ➢ private property pen-trapping and humane euthanasia in- situ via firearm

A number of Rusa removed by local landholders who were engaged during process

Anticipated the three-year strategy will be successfully completed on or before time. • Flexibility is critical to success

• Careful messaging regarding landholder responsibilities is required (GBO)

• Expected public response is not always the case Value in Engagement! Conclusion

Approach allowed Council to:

• gauge community attitudes

• focus on control methods accepted by residents • encourage community buy-in to the program • community engaged and landholders willing to assist control • landholders informed of their legislated responsibility to meet their GBO whilst maintaining animal welfare standards. • the Widgee - Lower Wonga community feels their views have been heard and understood • ultimately facilitated effective containment of an early incursion, with opportunity for local eradication Thank you

Acknowledgements

We thank residents of the Widgee - Lower Wonga area who provided open and invaluable feedback during the engagement period. We gratefully acknowledge Matt Amos (Robert Wicks Research Centre) for presenting at the community workshop, sharing his expertise and contributing to Gympie Council’s monitoring protocol, and the City of Gold Coast team for sharing their feral deer trap design. We would also like to thank participants of the project planning meeting for their valuable input: Carmel Kerwick, Helen Haapakoski, Michael Brennan, Tony Pople, Stacy Harris and Gemma Levett (Biosecurity ); Dan O’Regan (HQ Plantations); Darren Pointon (Out ’n’ About Trapping); Gary Wilson (Toowoomba Regional Council); Mark Kimber and Tony Cathcart (Sunshine Coast Council); Pat Bourke and Phil McDonald ( City Council); Ben Curley, Sally Maxfield and Shirley Edward (Gympie Regional Council).