Fighting feral animals for production and biodiversity production - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Fighting feral animals for production and biodiversity production - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Oct 15, 2023 20 likes •462 views

Fighting feral animals for production and biodiversity production and biodiversity outcomes. Darren Marshall Queensland Murray-Darling Committee Working together healthy landscapes, viable communities Outline Outline Biology

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Fighting feral animals for production and biodiversity production and biodiversity

  • utcomes.

Darren Marshall

Queensland Murray-Darling Committee

“Working together – healthy landscapes, viable communities”

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Outline Outline

  • Biology and Ecology
  • Distribution and
  • Distribution and

abundance

  • Impacts
  • Impacts
  • Control techniques
  • C

t R h

  • Current Research
  • Future research

www.qmdc.org.au

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Biology gy

  • Adult male 80-100kg, Female 50–60kg,

exceptional animals up to 260kg+

  • In favourable conditions breeding occurs all

year round

  • Females have a 21 day oestrus cycle, gestation 113

days, litter of 4–10 piglets depending on age, weight and food supply S f ll t 2 3 th f f i

  • Sow can successfully mate 2–3 months of farrowing,

allowing 2 litters per year in a good season

  • Weaning occurs after 2-3 months

S l t it h d h i h 25k

  • Sexual maturity reached when sows weigh 25kg
  • Few animals live more than 5 years

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Ecology Ecology

  • Pigs have few sweat glands so are

required to drink more water and wallow to cool off

  • Prefer dense cover for protection from

p sun and main predators – humans.

  • Female and juveniles live in small family groups with home

range of 2-20sqkm

  • Adult males are typically solitary with home range of 8 -

50sqkm

  • These ranges vary with season, food availability and

disturbance disturbance

  • Feral pigs generally shy nocturnal animals sheltering through

the day making it hard to accurately estimate numbers

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Ecology

  • Natural spread of pigs along watercourses depends on

good seasons and has largely occurred in last 50 -100 g g y years

  • Pigs have high energy and protein requirements, which

are not available all year round – reason they often hit i lt l agricultural crops.

  • The need for them to move and find these food

requirements is a weakness in their ecology that can be l it d f t exploited for management purposes.

  • Omnivorous and extremely opportunistic. Prefer green

feed and will eat crops, They root extensively for tubers, worms and soil invertebrates Will prey on small animals worms and soil invertebrates. Will prey on small animals and eggs. Stock losses occur primarily with lambs and goat kids.

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Where are they? y

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In Queensland

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Control Techniques Control Techniques q

  • Ground shooting

H ti

  • Hunting
  • Aerial shooting
  • Trapping
  • Fencing

Fencing

  • Poisoning (ground & aerial)

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Ground Shooting/ Hunting Ground Shooting/ Hunting

  • Opportunistic or planned

U d t fi d/h t i

  • Use dogs to find/hunt pigs
  • Dispatch with rifles, knives
  • Bowhunting

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Is Is recreational/commercial

recreational/commercial hunting effective at control? hunting effective at control?

– Usually hunt in high density areas only – Success is group-size dependant – Hunters very selective in animals they remove – Introduction of pigs into other areas? – BUT – can be a significant help??

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Do harvesters have an effect f l i l ti

  • n feral pig populations

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TRAPPING

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Trapping Trapping

Advantages

  • Economical

– Flexible, can be incorporated into normal farm activities Traps can be re used – Traps can be re-used – Cost of traps offset by selling animals

  • Doesn’t interfere with normal behaviour
  • Takes advantage of opportunities
  • Safest form of control – good for settled areas

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Trapping Trapping

Disadvantages

  • Must be checked regularly
  • Labour intensive to construct and maintain
  • Labour intensive to construct and maintain
  • Not suitable for large scale use
  • Success dependant on food availability

Success dependant on food availability

  • Bias?

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Trap Designs p g

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Trapping Trapping

Side-hinged door Side hinged door Many triggers available – but “pig-trigger” works

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Where in the Landscape to Position Traps

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Poisoning Poisoning

  • Great for removing bulk of population with the

least amount of effort

  • Ground or aerial baiting
  • Ground

– 1080 grain/meat – Phosphorus

Aerial

  • Aerial

– 1080 meat

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Poisoning Poisoning

Advantages Advantages

  • Widely accepted
  • Fast and effective
  • Fast and effective
  • Cheap!!

Disadvantages Best result with free feeding

  • Best result with free-feeding
  • Non-target risks

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Aerial Shooting Aerial Shooting

Use a helicopter, usually small and nimble e.g. R22 Use where pigs are in inaccessible areas, poisoning and/or where pre-feeding isn’t an ti

  • ption

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Aerial Shooting Aerial Shooting

Advantages Advantages

Access to most areas during most times Access to most areas during most times – Access to most areas during most times Access to most areas during most times – Rapid knockdown Rapid knockdown Can be used over large areas Can be used over large areas – Can be used over large areas Can be used over large areas – Cost is reasonable Cost is reasonable

Disadvantages Disadvantages

– Can disperse pigs Can disperse pigs – Can disperse pigs Can disperse pigs – Costs increase as density decreases Costs increase as density decreases – Not applicable to all areas/situations Not applicable to all areas/situations

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Not applicable to all areas/situations Not applicable to all areas/situations

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A broad scale control program with landholders whilst undertaking solid landholders whilst undertaking solid research to inform our future investment into feral animals investment into feral animals.

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Components of the project

  • Initial feral pig density surveys
  • Research to influence land managers

– Damage to Production – Damage to Biodiversity – Disease Spread – GPS and Radio Collaring GPS and Radio Collaring

  • On ground control techniques
  • Monitoring
  • Monitoring

– Ongoing feral pig density surveys

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surveys

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Feral pig density surveys

Aerial Survey’s – Nov 07 Mar 08 Aug 08 Nov 08 Apr 09 Aug 09 Nov 09 Apr 10

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Aerial Survey s – Nov 07, Mar 08, Aug 08, Nov 08, Apr 09, Aug 09, Nov 09, Apr 10.

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Approx 1 feral pig per square km

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How do we coordinate control of feral pigs dogs foxes and cats feral pigs, dogs, foxes and cats

Baiting, Trapping, Commercial Harvesting, Aerial Shooting, Recreational Shooting

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Green - Free fed and baited Yellow -Free fed. No uptake, b it i d no bait required Red - Not free fed. Not baited ‘Hog gone’ trial with IACRC June 2010 June 2010

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Overcoming challenges for t l control

  • Coordinated control over a large enough
  • Coordinated control over a large enough

area to have an impact on numbers. Formation of syndicate groups for baiting

  • Formation of syndicate groups for baiting

programs.

  • Increased trap use.
  • Do harvesters have

an impact on ferals.

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Research

Damage to Production Damage to Biodiversity Disease Spread Disease Spread GPS and Radio Collaring

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Agricultural Impacts Agricultural Impacts

– Damage to grain, cane, fruit and vegetable crops Damage to pastures and competition with grazing animals – Damage to pastures and competition with grazing animals – Lamb predation – Damage to fences, water sources

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Determine the cost of feral pig damage to crop production

Chick pea damage at planting Forage Sorghum damage

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P li i fi di f S h D Preliminary findings of Sorghum Damage.

  • 23 paddocks totalling 5272 ha

assessed

  • 0.1 – 5.6% damage

g

  • Mean $19/ha lost to feral pigs
  • Assuming this is representative

Assuming this is representative

– Queensland

  • 545,000 ha sorghum, ~$10 million
  • Even at low feral pig numbers, damage still considerable

Even at low feral pig numbers, damage still considerable

  • Control is quite cheap!!

Control is quite cheap!!

  • = Control is worthwhile!

= Control is worthwhile!

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Biodiversity Impact

113 f t h d

  • 113 fox stomachs and
  • 53 cat stomachs.
  • Over 70 feral pig stomachs

being analysed. FOX % of Stomachs CAT

94% Mice 87%

g y

94% Mice 87% 7% Bird 23% 37% Invertebrate 28% 4% Dasyurid 15% 1% Dragon sp. 4% 4.4% Frog 0% 0% Rat 0%

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7% Lagomorph 2% 23% Carrion 0%

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Disease Spread

  • Sydney University PhD student looking at the

interaction between feral pigs and Domestic Piggeries

  • Also testing for disease that may be
  • Also testing for disease that may be

transferred to humans or stock (leptospirosis, Brucellosis)

  • Of 33 pigs shot last week 15 infected with

l t i i d 2 ith b ll i leptospirosis and 2 with brucellosis

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GPS and Radio Tracking

B 1 ll d Boar 3, first capture. Boar 1, re-collared.

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Why track feral animals

  • Where do pigs, foxes and cats spend time

in the landscape?

  • Track animals over a period of time and

seasons.

  • Target control programs.

Target control programs.

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T i f l i T i f l i Top 5 ways to improve feral pig Top 5 ways to improve feral pig management management

  • greater co-ordination and co-operation in baiting

programs

  • refine control practices
  • sufficient bait density and coverage
  • timing & techniques e.g. use a variety of techniques
  • don’t leave ‘hunting reserves’ for hunters!
  • greater understanding of pig habits (e.g. distribution)
  • improve monitoring of feral pig abundance and impact
  • improve monitoring of feral pig abundance and impact

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Contact information

Darren Marshall

Regional Coordinator Feral Animals and Weeds

Phone: 0429 056 450 darrenm@qmdc.org.au

I t t ti d t h

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