After the furore of last week’s dead dog strung up, questions have inevitably been raised about other measures farmers can use to mitigate wild dog attacks.
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It’s an issue the NSW Department of Lands (DPI) has been trying to solve for sometime too, and they told the Courier-Sun there’s research underway.
“The NSW DPI is currently conducting a survey of wild dog distribution and relative abundance, expected to be completed later this year,” a DPI spokesperson said.
“Anecdotally, there are reports that the range and negative impacts of wild dogs are increasing in some areas ... but this is difficult to assess due to the cryptic nature of wild dogs and because wild dog populations vary over time and from region to region.
“The percentage of hybrids in NSW is very high, and as such, DPI doesn't distinguish between the range and habitats of wild dogs and dingoes.”
Despite the graphic image displayed in last week’s Courier-Sun, the DPI said that the most common way in which farmers tackled the wild dog problem was through non-firearm ways.
“Baiting remains the primary method of wild dog control as it has been demonstrated as the most efficient landscape-scale control strategy.”
The NSW DPI said guardian animals are currently used on a small number of NSW properties, however many still employ conventional forms of wild dog control.
“Guardian animals can be a beneficial technique in landscape-scale integrated wild dog management programs when used alongside other techniques including baiting and exclusion fencing,” the spokesperson said.
This spring, Local Land Services will work closely with 123 wild dog control groups across NSW on ground and aerial baiting across neighbouring properties.
In addition the NSW Government has spent more than $1.3 million towards the cost of cluster fencing for 35 properties in the north and west of NSW as part of a $3 million package from the Commonwealth Government to help manage pests and weeds.
