Local landholders have worked with Western Local Land Services to carry out a colossal baiting program for the control of wild dogs.
Over 140,000 baits were distributed over a two-month period from March to May, with landholders placing baits over a combined area of over 7,500,000 hectares, and baits distributed aerially over 4,800 kilometres of bait lines.
Western Local Land Services General Manager, Erlina Compton commended the landholders who are members of 17 pest management groups and Western Landcare NSW groups that participated in the program.
“The scale of the wild dog baiting programs in Western NSW and the coordination involved is a credit to the landholders and our biosecurity officers and support staff who make it happen,” Ms Compton said.
The fast facts of the program are:
- 17 pest animal control and/or Landcare groups involved
- 123 properties involved in aerial baiting and 250 involved in ground baiting
- 4,821 km of aerial bait lines
- an area of 7,594,672 hectares covered in ground baiting
- 48,214 baits used for aerial baiting and 94,800 baits used for ground baiting.
In addition to the coordinated baiting programs, landholders are encouraged to utilise other effective control techniques such as trapping and ground shooting.
While it is commonly known that wild dogs and other pest animals can cause significant losses to livestock enterprises with consequent economic and social impacts, there can also be considerable impacts to the environment and cultural heritage values of the region, through their predation of many small to medium sized native fauna species which may be endangered and also important totems for Aboriginal communities.
