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Check your gear, know your gear and take the time to learn best practice was the take-home message from the Fitzroy Basin Association Feral Animal Workshop held at Blackwater last month.

The workshop was part of an FBA Feral Animal Roadshow stopping at – Moranbah, Clermont, Rolleston and Injune. Attendees at the Blackwater event learnt about trapping with Jordy Oostom (from Northern Trapping) and Darren Pointon (from Out N About Trapping and Outfitters) as well as electric fencing options with Stewart Greggor (from Gallagher Animal Management).

Jordy and Darren have more than 50 years of industry experience between them in a large variety of landscapes and seasons and share a passion for the art of trapping. “I enjoy these workshops because years ago someone took the time to show me how to do it, and I thought if they can take the time to show me, well why can’t we do that,” Darren said.

Both Darren and Jordy agreed that teaching best practice is not only cost-effective for landholders, it also gets the most effective results. “Using bad practice methods teaches the wild dogs how to avoid or escape trapping methods and makes the whole exercise harder than it needs to be,” Jordy said.

Jordy continued saying his tip of the day is to, “be punctual with setting traps, check your gear and don’t rush it”.

FBA’s Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator (RALF) Officer, Sheree Johnston, organised the roadshow. “In my RALF role, I work with land managers across the Fitzroy region,” she said. “Feral animals cost land managers time and money. “These events are a fantastic opportunity for land managers to refresh their best practice pest management skills and work with their neighbours to collaborate on solutions.”

It was a huge day of learning and networking with lots of notes taken. Lynelle Newmann was blown away by the workshop and was happy to have helped it proceed by hosting at Countryco Blackwater. “The day was fantastic, we’ve had so much great feedback come through the store around the event,” Lynelle said.

Wild dogs cost the agriculture industry an average of $89.3 million per year and it’s not just graziers feeling these affects. Wild dogs have been known to cause damage to infrastructure on cane farms as well. They also have environmental and social impacts in many places across Australia and harbour and transmit diseases that can infect animals and humans.

“It was great to see such high interaction at an event among landholders,” Darren said. “It’s not every day you see so many full notebooks at an event.” No doubt there will now be some great trapping and fencing practices being applied throughout CQ.

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ALSO... did you know? DNA tests undertaken by UNSW Sydney show most 'wild dogs' in Australia are pure dingoes! 
Wild dogs: that's not their name! 99% of wild canines in Australia are pure dingoes or dingo-dominant hybrids, but they're being labelled as ‘wild dogs’. Read more

“We don’t have a feral dog problem in Australia,” says Dr Kylie Cairns, a conservation biologist from UNSW Science and lead author of the study. “They just aren’t established in the wild - 'wild dog’ isn’t a scientific term – it’s a euphemism."

“Dingoes are a native Australian animal, and many people don't like the idea of using lethal control on native animals. The term ‘wild dog’ is often used in government legislation when talking about lethal control of dingo populations.” 

The terminology used to refer to a species can influence our underlying attitudes about them, especially when it comes to native and culturally significant animals. This language can contribute to other misunderstandings about dingoes, like being able to judge a dingo’s ancestry by the colour of its coat – which can naturally be sandy, black, white, brindle, tan, patchy, or black and tan.

“There is an urgent need to stop using the term ‘wild dog’ and go back to calling them dingoes,” says Mr Brad Nesbitt, an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of New England and a co-author on the study.

“Only then can we have an open public discussion about finding a balance between dingo control and dingo conservation in the Australian bush.”

The event was supported by Fitzroy Basin Association through funding by the Queensland and Australian Government as part of the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative and the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Article Attrition: Emerald Today; UNSW Newsroom; Photo: Michelle J Photography.