Dogs – The Silent Killers

In 2017 there were more stories of wild dog attacks than the years preceding and in 2018 farmers are probably wondering what steps will be taken next.

When wild dog numbers are high there are financial losses and a high emotional cost. There are sleepless nights and the horror of dealing with livestock that has been ripped apart alive – sometimes including family pets.

Wild dogs are clever, and well adapted to the Australian terrain. It is incredibly difficult to track, capture and cull them. The dogs are not pets and are not tame. They should not be approached by unqualified individuals as they can pose health-risks for humans and livestock.

Livestock Losses

The scope of the problem reaches every state and territory in Australia. Wild dogs alone account for an $89 million loss for the agricultural sector, with the combined bill for all feral species in Australia as high as $797 million a year.

The dogs feed on livestock and can also be a reservoir for diseases that affect livestock, wildlife and domestic pets. They carry sheep measles, hydatidosis, mange, distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, neospora caninum and toxoplasmosis.

They even affect humans, by carrying parasites such as roundworms, hookworms and hydatids or tapeworms.

Strategies to keep dogs down

Last year in September groups banded together to tackle the wild dog issue in the Hunter Valley. This was after dozens of sheep were killed in a single night.

The groups have called for the creation of a pool of professional controllers that farmers can call on in the event that their stock is directly attacked.

Another farmer invested $300,000 in a 1.8m high exclusion fence in response to dog, kangaroo and other feral species attacks. It won’t be known for some time as to whether or not the investment will be able to improve his farm business.

 Wild dogs in plague numbers

Western and northern Australians are seeing dogs in plague proportions that have called into question management strategies.

NSW has already seen the dogs infiltrate the wheat belt and farmers are calling for more effective measures to ensure that 2017/2018 is a more profitable year.

The NSW national park rangers captured, collared and released 30 wild dogs in April 2017 to find out more about the way they are moving in the Riverlands. The hope is that this information will assist in future efforts to reduce wild dog numbers. This information and more effective management strategies can’t come soon enough for farmers who have already had to suffer losses in this financial year.

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