Wild dog numbers in the Northern Territory are out of control, according to pastoralists.
Channel 7 News says that changes to the baiting legislation two years has caused a two-year paperwork backlog that has halted the issuing of poison permits.
It is estimated wild dog attacks cost the Territory’s cattle industry around $80 million a year.
Tracey Hayes, from the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association (NTCA) welcomed the concept of streamlining of the process but said the backlog has meant an increase in the numbers of dogs roaming in packs.
“We’ve been hearing reports of increasing density of wild dogs almost in plague proportions in some areas, and that’s largely attributable to the fact there hasn’t been an ongoing program,” she told Channel 7
Ms Hayes said she had been told “procedural difficulties in lining up paperwork” were the cause of the problem with the department, which was moving to an online permit and renewal system.
The Federal Government recently launched a $10 million program investigating management options – but some producers see a widespread cull as the only way to get numbers under control.
Federal Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce told Channel 7 that the issue of wild dog control required a coordinated national approach.
“Wild dogs don’t care about state boundaries, they don’t care about whose place they’re on,” Mr Joyce said. “They have scant regard whether it’s a national park or not.”
The pest control poison 1080 – “ten-eighty” – takes its name from a catalogue reference number. The active ingredient sodium monofluoroacetate is a toxin which occurs naturally in plants to ward off foraging animals but is manufactured synthetically for use as a pesticide to control feral animal populations. Once ingested in sufficient quantities, 1080 affects cellular metabolism and the nervous system, with the cause of death usually heart failure.
Unfortunately, many grey nomads have lost dogs to 1080.
The RSPCA has previously concluded “that 1080 is not a humane poison”, but acknowledges that in many circumstances there is currently no alternative effective control method available.
The RSPCA is campaigning for further research into alternatives to 1080 so that it can be phased out.
· Have you noticed more wild dogs in the NT? Should 1080 be replaced?
