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Fox management in Southwest WA
- 1. Dr Peter Adams Biosecurity and Regulation, Invasive Species Fox Management in Southwest WA
- 2. Background Foxes in Australia • Introduced in Victoria 1845- 1880’s • First reported in WA in 1911 west of Eucla • Established in WA by 1937 • Declared pest s22(2) under BAM Act 2007 • Control category C3 • Cost $227 million/annum (McLeod, 2004) Supporting your success
- 3. Background Biology • Monoestrous oBreed once/year – June/July oCubs born Aug/Sept oAverage litter size = 4 oWeaning at 6-8 weeks oJuveniles disperse at 5-6 months • Highly successful generalist predator • Readily adapt to variety of habitats oRural, peri-urban, urban Supporting your success
- 4. Home range and movements Agricultural landscape • Home range size variable (95% MCP) oMean = 639 Ha ±930 Ha (SD) oRange = 151 – 3196 Ha (n=10) • Nightly area covered oMean = 383 Ha ±347 Ha (SD) oRange = 136 – 1446 Ha (n=4) • Distance travelled nightly oMean = 9.4 km ±3.7 km (SD) oRange = 4.8 – 16 km (n=4) • Adult HR virtually exclusive Supporting your success
- 5. Density in landscape 2 km5 km10 km 49 foxes 306 foxes 1225 foxes 12.5 km-2 78.5 km-2 314 km-2 • Sheep & cattle grazing • Capture-recapture estimated population of 93 foxes • Density = 3.9 foxes km-2
- 6. Impacts Agricultural • Small livestock • Poultry – domestic and commercial • Lambs/kids oSignificant for high value animals oCan be as high as 30% losses oDirect predation vs scavenging? • Rarely larger species unless sick or injured Supporting your success
- 7. Impacts Environmental • Implicated in the extinction and decline of numerous native species • Known to threaten; o14 bird species o48 mammal species o12 reptile species o2 amphibian species Supporting your success
- 8. • Sourced culled foxes from RCRF • Collected across 4 ecoregions • During February/March • Stomach contents n=473 • Age and sex of each carcass Impacts Diet analysis Supporting your success
- 9. Dietary composition Supporting your success
- 11. Impacts Supporting your success Parasites and disease • Harbour parasites of agricultural and zoonotic importance • Important vector for rabies in northern hemisphere
- 12. Management Range of control strategies • Shooting • Trapping • Baiting • Guardian animals • Repellant devices Supporting your success
- 13. Bait type selection Main considerations • Size of baiting program • Timing • Presence/absence of stock • Climate/weather conditions • Labour intensity Supporting your success
- 14. Bait laying Main considerations • DON’T use continuous scent (carcass) drag trails • DON’T lay multiple baits at one site • Generally keep baits 200 m or more apart Supporting your success
- 15. Management Best management strategy • Coordinated and strategic community-wide approach • Employing multiple techniques • Providing targeted population scale control • At ideal times Supporting your success
- 16. Management RCRF coordinated culling program Supporting your success 57% 25% 18% • Feb & March • n=476 shot foxes • Accurately aged • Majority juvenile and dispersers • Natural mortality high in these cohorts • Not impacting core population
- 17. Management Baiting programmes • Prolonged control measure within landscape • Non target interactions Supporting your success
- 18. Management Bait placement • Location of bait within landscape important • Influences bait uptake Supporting your success
- 19. Management Avoiding ‘control aversion’ • No silver bullet • Combination of control techniques most effective • Lethal control = strong selection pressure Supporting your success
- 21. • Thank you for your attention • If you have any additional questions or comments please do not hesitate to provide them now • Alternatively, you can contact me via oEmail: Peter.Adams@agric.wa.gov.au oPhone: 9368 3204 Further information Thank you Supporting your success
- 22. Thank you Visit dpird.wa.gov.au Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © Western Australian Agriculture Authority, 2017