Pastoralists fight to control wild dog population

Updated July 23, 2012 17:55:20

"They can basically wipe the sheep out."

"They take little lambs, they'll pull down full-grown sheep, they'll bite goats and rams and then they'll just get infected and die.

"They'll even take down calves and attack cows if they're hungry enough and there's nothing else for them to eat."

Michael Trant, a co-owner of a sheep station at Yalgoo in the state's Mid West, describes the devastation wild dogs can cause.

His property is on the borderline of wild dog territory.

Fortunately, he has managed to protect the majority of his flock of 10,000 sheep.

"Our neighbours have lost a lot but we haven't got huge numbers of dogs yet, but they're certainly building up," he said.

There is some help on the way with more landholders now able to apply to use 1080 bait.

Previously, access to the bait was restricted to a limited number of people.

Landholders had to wait for organised baiting days where an accredited injector would prepare 1080 oat baits.

Out of control

The Meekatharra Rangeland Biosecurity Association chairman, Ashley Dowden, says a couple years ago, the wild dog situation got so bad that entire flocks were being killed.

"In the Meekatharra area all the sheep got wiped out," he said.

"Then they got pushed down to Cue, wiped out all the sheep in Cue and I'm in Mt Magnet, which is just south of Cue and we were very, very concerned that exactly the same thing was going to happen.

"We wanted to see some changes made so we could start doing something about the dogs because our industry was at risk and if we didn't do something then there really was no future for us."

As of April this year, The Pastoralists and Graziers Association of Western Australia estimated there are around 30,000 wild dogs in the state.

Mr Dowden was one of the initiators of the new bait controls.

"The oats in the past were good but they were time consuming," he said.

"The 1080 concentrate injecting the baits is ten times quicker than with oats, and I think it's a lot easier."

Having seen firsthand the devastation wild dogs can cause, Michael Trant has applied for the new accreditation to use the 1080 poison.

He believes the new process will be more convenient.

"I'll have the freedom to be able to make small amounts of baits as I need and throw them around whenever I can, as opposed to getting a huge amount from a baiting day and throwing them all out in one big hit before they go rotten," he said.

The Department of Agriculture's Richard Watkins says the new provisions will allow pastoralists to do the injecting of 1080 themselves, which should result in better control of wild dogs.

"I'd like to think that because it's going to be made a bit easier to make a bulk number of baits, it should improve the actual amount of baits," he said.

"This product makes it a little bit easier and they can make a lot more baits in a short amount of time so it's just another way to add to the management of wild dogs."

Tough conditions

Mr Dowden says the changes took a long time.

"I'm worried that it's a lot too late," he said.

"I understand when you're dealing with health and poison schedules that everything has to be done to the book.

"But, it has taken a long time and I think there's a lot of people over the last couple of years who just haven't been able to survive…the pressure from the dogs has just been too great."

RSPCA Australia's chief scientist Bidda Jones says unless the new laws come with a strategic, regional approach, they won't significantly reduce wild dog numbers.

"Relaxing the laws means that 1080 baits will be more readily available to landholders; that doesn't mean that they're going to be applying it in an effective, co-ordinated way," she said.

"And, that needs to be part of which the way controls are applied.

"This is a long term problem that needs a long term control strategy and for any government to deal with it properly, it needs proper resourcing and it shouldn't be something that's left up to individual landholders.

"It needs to be something that governments are actively involved in."

Dr Jones believes there are reasonable scientific grounds for relaxing the laws, but sees issues with the 1080 baits.

"The death resulting from 1080 is incredibly inhumane and there isn't an antidote so any susceptible species is vulnerable," she said.

Alternative bait

The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre has submitted an alternative wild dog bait to the Australia Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

Dr Jones believes the poison, known as para-aminopropiophenone or PAPP, provides not only a more humane death but there is also an antidote available.

Although she admits the process from submitting the poison for review to it becoming commercially available, can take years.

"Obviously the alternative isn't available yet," she said.

"People are concerned about the problem that's occurring right now and ignoring that problem means that it will only going to get worse."

Mr Trant says wild dog numbers are growing and pastoralists need help now.

"Whether it's a case of too little too late who knows, but we're certainly doing what we can," he said.

"Something is needed.

"If we suddenly lose access to that 1080, we may as well pack up and leave because within a couple of years there's going to be no sheep around."

Topics: animals, dog, geraldton-6530

First posted July 23, 2012 17:46:01