FERAL pigs and foxes are a serious threat to the new red gum national parks, but the Victorian Government's decision to allow in recreational hunters is unlikely to help, says CAROL BOOTH

The Victorian Government's decision to allow in recreational hunters in red gum national parks could worsen the feral animal problems.

On the surface it seems like a good idea: recreational hunters kill animals, which means fewer pests, which means less damage to the environment. But there are flaws in the "dead pest is a good pest" thinking.

Victoria had a fox bounty in 2002-03 that resulted in 170,000 dead foxes, but was abandoned because it didn’t work. A review of the scheme found that it made some difference in less than 4 per cent of the state, in areas where hunting access was easy. There was evidence that some hunters left foxes behind so they would have something to return to.

Virtually every bounty scheme in Australia and abroad has failed. Bounties typically reduce pest numbers by a paltry 2-10 per cent. For some feral animals half the population must be culled every year just to maintain the status quo.

The use of recreational hunters to control feral animals inside reserves usually doesn’t work because their kill rate is lower than the replacement rate.

In a South Australian reserve in 2002, 65 recreational hunters shot 44 deer in four days, less than the annual population increase. In the same area five years later one professional aerial shooter in just four hours killed 182 deer, more than 90 per cent of the estimated population.

In three years of pig control in a Florida reserve, recreational hunters removed less than 13 per cent of pigs taken by professional cullers over just two years.

Hunting skills vary greatly, and a small number of skilled hunters achieve the vast majority of kills. In New Zealand just 5 per cent of hunters account for more than half the deer killed for sport, and most shooting is conducted close to roads.

Hunting pressure close to roads has the potential to push feral animals into remote areas, increasing the pressure on more pristine locations.

When skill levels are low, animal welfare and human safety are put at risk.

By allowing hunting in Victoria’s newest national parks the State Government may unwittingly encourage hunters to move pests to build up prey numbers. This already goes on.

More than half the 218 new feral deer herds that have appeared in Australia over recent years are the result of deer being moved illegally, mainly to create hunting opportunities. In NSW national parks and state forests, deer have been found with ear tags from farms far away, implying deliberate introduction.

In southwest Western Australia, where feral pig numbers are increasing and populations are appearing in new areas, a genetics study indicated that movement by people had a lot to do with it. The researchers concluded that feral pigs were being "deliberately and illegally translocated to supplement recreational hunting stocks".

Recent actions by the Victorian Government are worrying. A pattern is emerging of deals offered to recreational hunters in the guise of environmental programs. A recent proposal to subsidise deer hunting on private properties was presented as a scheme to benefit biodiversity, but will instead result in larger feral deer populations causing greater environmental harm.

The proposal to pass responsibility for feral animal control to recreational hunters in national parks is a political deal, not a plan for feral animal control.

It's time the Victorian Government got serious about feral animal control in our national parks and committed itself to ongoing, rigorous control programs, adopting the most effective and humane methods, and employing professionals, not amateurs.


Further evidence about the issue is provided in the report A Deer Mistake, available at www.invasives.org.au/home.html.