A baiting program for wild dogs and foxes is about the get underway in rural areas west of the M1 freeway and at Central Coast Wetlands-Pioneer Dairy at Tuggerah
Biosecurity Officer for Central Coast Local Land Services, Gareth Cleal, said that there had been a lot more reports of wild dogs and foxes in the past six months since the bushfires earlier this year, which forced them closer to properties.
“There’s a lot of dogs at the moment up through Mangrove Mountain, Dooralong, Ravensdale, Yarramalong, Jilliby and in pockets everywhere around the western side of the freeway,” he said.
Cleal said people and domestic pets should stay clear and working dogs should be restrained during the control program from October 6 to 30.
Central Coast Wetlands-Pioneer Dairy, the 155ha ecologically significant reserve between Wyong and Tuggerah, will also be conducting a baiting program.
Jed Field, a local ecologist and volunteer Board member, said there had been good outcomes from previous baiting programs at the wetlands reserve.
“One of the best outcomes we’ve had is that in one location where we baited we have not recorded any foxes post baiting and bandicoots have moved into this whole corner of the reserve where we’ve never seen bandicoots before,” he said.
“Foxes are predators of ground mammals and birds, especially in the critical weight range up to 5kgs which are very susceptible.”
Field said the problem was getting worse prior to the last baiting program in May, and camera monitoring showed foxes prowling every single night.
“After baiting, the number of sightings were reduced to about one a week and we are now focussed on maintaining a regular program which is more likely to lead to a better long-term outcome.
“Through the efforts of volunteers over the past 15 years, we’ve been able to restore the habitat and progressively we’re noticing an increase in fauna diversity that needs to be protected,” Field said.
Further west, the wild dog and fox baiting is about reducing pest animal numbers and their impact on primary production, livestock and native wildlife in those areas.
“As there is so much land involved, it’s a very broad scale program and we get great support from National Parks and Wildlife, the Forestry Corporation and Central Coast Council,” said Gareth Cleal from Local Land Services.
“Following reports of wild dog attacks, we go out and start monitoring to try and work out where the dogs are moving through.
“The dogs can run in pairs or sometimes in packs of about 10, and apart from attacks on livestock, they can be a danger to humans too.
“I know of landowners that have been growled at or bailed up, but a lot of the time they’ll get quite curious and more often than not just sit back and watch.
“We’ve done some genetic testing previously to see what percentage of dingo are in them and the initial testing came back as low the first time.
“We’ve just sent off some more samples in the past few weeks just to see the genetic integrity but generally they are domestic dogs gone wild and branch from alsation looking dogs around Jilliby, and black and tan kelpie dogs are very common too.
Cleal said that following reports from landholders, a thorough risk assessment was done to see whether it was safe to bait on a property and whether other mitigations needed to be put in place.
He said all landholders had to be authorised before baiting, and following accreditation, they had to attend a three-hour training course including all the legislation to follow under the Pesticide Control Order which is regulated by the Environment Protection Authority.
Cleal said 1080 was the shelf name used for the poison, sodium fluoro acetate, which is sourced from 40 various species of Australian plants, and native wildlife had a natural resistance to the low dosages used in the baits.
The properties where ground baits and canid pest ejectors will be laid are: 60 Hitchcocks La, Dooralong; 847 and 893 Hue Hue Rd, Jilliby; 90 Lauffs La, Yarramalong; 964 and 216 Yarramalong Rd, Wyong Creek; 276, 277, 610, 602 and 599 Ravensdale Rd, Ravensdale; 186 Little Jilliby Rd, Little Jilliby; 227 and 166 Brush Creek Rd, Cedar Brush Creek; 59 Chandlers La, Wyong Creek; 33 Dunks La, Jilliby; 1 Beans Pl, Ourimbah; 109 Stinsons La, Wyong Creek; Central Coast Wetlands Pioneer Dairy at Tuggerah; and, 1897 South Tacoma Rd, Tuggerah.
Baits will also be laid at Mangrove Creek Dam and weir (Dubbo Gully) and Moony Creek Dam.
Sue Murray