Taking Control Support, Information and Resources for Individuals and Communities Impacted by Wild Dogs
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Taking Control Support, information and resources for individuals and communities impacted by wild dogs Spring 2012 Inside this issue New control devices are one step closer to becoming available to Victorian land managers Wild dog control in Victoria has become more proactive and effective as a Stakeholders exchange views result of local area planning and increased community involvement, says on control strategies National Wild Dog Facilitator, Greg Mifsud. Attending the BESTWOOL/ AWI funding allows the BESTLAMB field day at Ensay a few weeks ago, Greg observed that development of six trapping farmers are deriving confidence from programs that focus on the specific toolboxes needs of their locality. BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB - “That confidence is reflected in the high numbers of farmers participating in community baiting opportunities to benefit from programs, improving their trapping expertise and exchanging information with the DPI,” he says. the program are expanding “Farmers and wild dog controllers are having a much greater impact - more dogs are being taken further into areas impacted by before they make it onto farms.” wild dogs Like many farmers and wild dog controllers, Greg is disappointed that the Commonwealth The PestSmart roadshow Government did not approve aerial baiting. The implication of that decision is, at this point in - free resources for all land time, this additional tool cannot be included in the Victorian wild dog control toolbox. “The state managers affected by pest government was really supportive and put forward all the knowledge, science and information animals available from the wild dog groups,” he says. “I feel a big part of the jigsaw – getting into those inaccessible parts of the country – is missing.” The Victorian Wild Dog On a more positive note, Greg says that industry support from Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) Control Advisory Committee and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) is continuing to help wild dog-affected communities. AWI seeks your input has funded the appointment of two new community baiting coordinators, and along with MLA is Free trapping DVD available co-funding a number of BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB groups (see page 3). AWI and MLA have also invested in research being carried out by the Invasive Animals Co-operative Research Centre’s Wild dog activity (IACRC) to develop new strategies for controlling pest animals. - who to contact in your area Two IACRC-developed products (the PAPP toxin and M44 ejector) have been submitted for registration with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). Greg is hopeful APVMA registration and the development of state policy regulations will occur quickly to enable these additional tools to be used in 2013. For more information about PAPP (which is provided with an antidote) is an alternative to 1080, while the M44 ejector is a wild dog management, spring-loaded device that can only be activated by strong-jawed animals like dogs and foxes. contact your area leader: “Both products are intended to complement the tools that are currently available,” he says. “By Gippsland: Vaughn Kingston filling in the gaps, we can build stakeholder capacity and improve results.” (03) 5155 8121 North East: Greg Ivone Finally, Greg urges farmers to take advantage of another IACRC product: a free DVD that shows (03) 5731 1211 farmers how to trap wild dogs and foxes (see page 4). He can even vouch for its usefulness. “I’d watched the DVD quite a few times while we were developing it,” he recounts. “I decided to give trapping a go myself, when a mate was having problems with dogs on a property that was too close to town to bait. I managed to catch one of the dogs within a week and his boys caught another couple after watching the DVD!” A change is in the air Ensay farmer, Ken Skews, who attended the BestWoolBestLamb field day, agrees that landholders have been encouraged by the localised area plan approach taken by the DPI. Ken also believes the field day, which was attended by several senior DPI managers, was “a very healthy exchange of views, concerns and grievances”. “It was good to hear what the DPI had to say about their policies and future program, and to be able to question them about their effectiveness,” he says. “It was also beneficial that senior DPI staff were able to hear the views of landholders on the wild dog control program and policy.” Ken - who is a member of the Victorian Wild Dog Control Advisory Committee – points out some landholders would like to be more involved in the delivery of wild dog control programs. One area where landholders feel they could make a real contribution is within the 3km buffer zone between private and public land. A proposal supported by all field day participants was landholders with the appropriate qualifications (ie Agricultural Chemical User Permit (ACUP) and 1080 accreditation) be permitted to operate in the buffer zone. This would occur under existing protocols governing the use of baits on Crown land. “The crux of the matter is we need to get into the bush where the dogs are living, otherwise we are just sitting in the trenches waiting for them to come,” says Ken, adding that he and some neighbours, with active support from the DPI, are in the process of making an application to the DSE to allow Wild Dog Controllers to bait and trap in a specific problem area beyond the buffer zone. “If we and the Wild Dog Controllers combine our resources, we have a much better chance of making an impact.” Six trapping toolboxes available to borrow AWI funding has enabled the Swifts Creek-Ensay Landcare Group to put together six trapping toolboxes that can be borrowed by landholders in both Ensay and Swifts Creek. Each toolbox comprises six traps (Lanes and Bridger #5) and trap-setting equipment (see photo, left). An information day hosted by the DPI recently gave around a dozen landholders the opportunity to become familiar with the traps in the toolboxes. The information day, which was held at Jimmy and Sue Gray’s property at Reedy Flat, was attended by three Wild Dog Controllers (WDCs): Peter Lee, Glenn Lineham and Jim Benton. After sharing some of their ‘trade secrets’, the WDCs provided assistance while participants practiced setting the traps safely and effectively. A second information day will be held in a few months time when landholders have had the opportunity to use the traps in the toolboxes. The toolboxes have been put together by Craig Lloyd, who is a farmer and the facilitator of the Ensay BestWoolBestLamb group. He can be contacted on (03) 5157 3219 or at [email protected]. 2 Taking Control Maximising sheep production in wild dog-affected areas Sheep producers in wild dog-affected areas have the opportunity to participate in BESTWOOL/BESTLAMB (BWBL) groups over the next financial year. Offered by the DPI and co-funded by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the BWBL Jason Trompf, demonstrating how to condition-score ewes in the race program explores a range of practical and innovative ways to at Craig Lloyd’s property at Ensay. “A purely visual assessment of improve production and increase ewe and lamb survival rates. ewe condition is not enough, and can even be misleading,” he said. Fourteen sheep businesses in the Bullioh area and ten in the Benambra area have participated in the 2011-12 program. Topics covered include parasite control after wet summers, assessing and meeting the nutritional requirements of pregnant ewes, filling winter and summer feed gaps, and utilizing the latest technology for scanning pregnant ewes. The groups also discuss strategies to reduce wild dog predation both on-farm and within the community. “The goal of the program is to help producers impacted by wild dogs get the most out of their sheep, through a combination of wild dog control and productivity improvements,” explains the facilitator of the Bullioh group, Dr Kristy Howard. Groups will run in Bullioh, Benambra and Ensay in 2012-13. Several farmers in the Buchan-Gelantipy area have also expressed interest in forming a fourth group after attending a field day held at Gelantipy in August featuring BWBL chair, Jason Trompf. Jason, who is a sheep and lamb producer, co-developed the Lifetime Ewe Management Program and is regarded as an expert on sheep genetics and fertility. He challenged participants to think beyond ‘one good lamb is enough’, and to strive to manage their flock to maximise its reproductive potential. “Whether you are breeding for meat or wool, the key steps for improving sheep systems and rebuilding flocks are genetics, managing pastures for good nutrition and attention to detail,” he said. He urged farmers to assess their sheep regularly so they can ensure their ewes are in optimum condition at critical times like joining and lambing. He also advocates scanning at around 90 days post-joining to separate dry ewes from the flock, and to detect multiple pregnancies. Farmers can then draft off ewes carrying twins and triplets to manage their higher nutritional needs. The following day, Jason attended a meeting of the Ensay BWBL group where he demonstrated how to condition-score ewes, and evaluate pasture quality and quantity in the paddock. To participate in any of the BWBL groups, contact Jenny O’Sullivan on (03) 5663 2386, 0419 153 377 or [email protected]. On the road with the PestSmart roadshow The Invasive Animals Co-operative “The PestSmart toolkit is for anyone Research Centre’s (IACRC) who wants to know anything about feral PestSmart Roadshows held in Albury animals, including wild dogs, rabbits, and Bairnsdale recently showcased pigs and even carp,” she says. “It covers the latest innovations in wild dog the full gamut of information from very control, including PAPP baits and basic fact sheets through to research M44 ejectors.