Articles tagged with 'Managing introduced species'

In most states landholders have a legal obligation to control wild rabbits on their property as they are classed as a pest animal.

Recreational hunting causes inevitable pain and suffering to animals and is not an effective form of pest management. In the limited circumstances where shooting is carried out as part of a pest animal management program, professional marksmen have been shown to be more effective than recreational hunters.

Water buffalo (Bubula bubalis) are large (450–1,180kg) wallowing herbivores that were introduced to Australia around the mid-1800s, for work and for their meat and hides. First introduced to Melville Island and Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, wild herds were seen from 1843.

RSPCA Australia recognises the need to control introduced species, such as the fox, to reduce both environmental and agricultural impacts. However, we argue that the control methods used should be as humane as possible.

The answer is yes. Recreational hunters have interfered with the effective control of pest animals in some areas, especially in state forests. Evidence from genetic studies has shown that pig hunters have illegally transported feral pigs into new areas.

Many introduced and some native animals are classed as ‘pests’; because they have a negative impact on the environment or agricultural production.

The use of dogs in pig hunting poses significant welfare risks to both the pig being hunted and the dogs involved. Hunting pigs with dogs involves the dog flushing out the pig and chasing it until it is exhausted or cornered.