Feral dogs maim and kill sheep, AWI has some major projects in wild dog control.

In some areas of Queensland and Western Australia, and along the Great Dividing Range in NSW/Victoria, sheep production is being significantly impacted because of the ongoing damage inflicted by feral dogs in particular.

Wild dogs are controlled primarily by baiting with sodium fluoroacetate (1080). AWI has argued strongly for the continued availability of 1080 for wild dog control because there are no good alternatives.

AWI's major projects in dog and fox control are:

• Development of a new canid (wild dogs) toxin. This is a major investment with the Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre (IACRC). The toxin under study causes a rapid and humane death and is highly specific to canids. 
• The Northern NSW DefAdditional information and useful links: monstration Site project with NSW I&I, the IACRC and local growers to demonstrate new dog control tools within landscape level control
• National Facilitation of Strategic Control with the IACRC National Facilitator, Greg Mifsud. Greg’s time is mostly spent assisting the state agencies and growers to develop local wild dog management plans
• Support for wool growers from SA, Qld, WA and NSW to participate in the National Wild Dog Management Advisory Group which monitors the National Facilitation of Strategic Control project and other research done through the IACRC or other members of the Group
• Wild Dog Issues Paper looking at the implementation of dog control from the social science perspective to develop recommendations for improved control
• Wild dog extension in WA working with the Department of Agriculture and Food WA and growers to increase the area of land included under an agreed management plan. Check the AWI events page for upcoming workshops.

AWI is looking at further investments in control tools and planning for landscape level control.

Of Interest

In a recent observation at the IACRC wild canid demonstration site in northern NSW, a single dog ate 11 fresh meat baits over a couple of hours and another dog ate 9 baits before both succumbed to 1080. This finding was presented recently to the National Wild Dog Management Advisory Group in Port Augusta SA. More details are available from Guy Ballard, Project Officer Wild dog Management, guy.ballard@industry.nsw.gov.

A Facebook group has formed a page to make people aware of the issues pastoralists and farmers have with wild dogs. For further information, please contact the administrators of the Wild Dog Control Group. Note that this Facebook group was not set up or administrated by AWI. Whilst AWI is a member of this Facebook group, any comments made by the administrators or members of this Facebook group, other than as authorised by AWI and posted using its user name “Australian Wool Innovation”, do not necessarily represent the views or policies of AWI.

NRM Notes is a newsletter from the Invasive Animals CRC designed to keep all Australian NRM regions up to date with the latest developments and current projects associated with invasive animal research including wild dog and fox research and extension. The August 2010 edition contains an update from producer workshops in WA. To subscribe to the newsletter, email the NRM liaison officer at email jessica.gibson@invasiveanimals.com. Or view all issues at
www.invasiveanimals.com/research/goals/goal-11/11t1/

You can also subscribe to a newsletter called Feral Flyer from the Invasive Animals CRC via www.invasiveanimals.com/media-centre/newsletters/.

Dingo Research Project

The February 2011 edition of the Dingo Update is now available for download (PDF 212Kb) at www.saalnrm.sa.gov.au.

The Dingo Update is a bi-monthly publication bringing you the latest news from the Dingo Research Project as well as ongoing management news. The Dingo Research Project is an initiative of the SA Arid Lands Natural Resources Management Board.

In this edition:
News from South of the Fence

• Cash injection for Biteback
• Biteback rolls out across district

Please note that the Dingo Update can also be found in Across The Outback, a newsletter published every second month for the Outback SA Government and Community Alliances http://www.saalnrm.sa.gov.au/PublicationsResources/Newsletters.aspx

If you wish to subscribe to this e-mailing list contact jenny.barker@sa.gov.au

Additional information and useful links:

• Invasive Animals CRC
• 1080 Baiting Program
• NSW - NSW Environment, Climate Change & Water
• Vic - Invasive Animals
• Social Benefit Cost Analysis - Wild Dog Management in Victoria
• WA - Department of Agriculture and Food WA
• SA - Overview of Agriculture in SA
• QLD - Wild Dogs (Primary Industries & Fisheries, Queensland)
• TAS - State of the Environment Tasmania
• Guardian alpacas fact sheet (PDF 172Kb)