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Feral animals in Australia: introduction

Humans are responsible for feral animals being in Australia. For example, rabbits and foxes were imported and released to provide hunting opportunities for gentleman farmers. Some animals escaped from captivity, but others were abandoned when they were no longer needed. For example, donkeys, buffaloes and camels were used as beasts of burden. When mechanised transport took over, the animals lost their value and were left to fend for themselves. Similarly, horses were bred for the army up to World War I. When the army no longer needed horses, they were released (1).

Every mammal used by humans, with the exception of sheep, has become feral. This includes horses, cattle, goats, pigs, donkeys, camels, water buffaloes, dogs, cats, rabbits and foxes. Since humans created the problem, they also have an obligation to solve it in a humane way.

Unfortunately, once an animal is labelled "pest" or "vermin" they are excluded from the consideration that applies to other animals. Animals are supposed to be killed painlessly. In South Australia, a person commits an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act if s/he "kills the animal in a manner that causes unnecessary pain". Feral animals are excluded from this protection. Many die a painful death, but no-one is prosecuted. It is important to remember that animals labelled "pest" suffer just as much as any other animal.

Here is a summary of how particular animals are killed.

Species	Numbers	Killing methods
Pigs	several million (2)	poisons, shooting, hunting
Goats	up to 2 million (2)	mustering, poison, shooting
Horses	100,000 (2), lower than in the past due to drought	mustering, shooting
Buffaloes	105,000-140,000 in 1989 (1), lower now due to BTEC	mustering, shooting
Donkeys	90,000 in NT (1)	shooting
Camels	25,000 in NT (1)	mustering
Foxes	several million (2)	poisons, traps, shooting
Cats	unknown, up to 1 cat/km2 in some places (2)	poisons, traps, shooting
Rabbits	200-300 million before 1995 (4)	poisons, traps, shooting, warren ripping, diseases, dogging

To make animal welfare a central issue in population control, the Feral Animal Search Conference (5) recommended that all methods should be assessed by an ethical review panel. " Both existing and new techniques would be subject to review by this process and if found to be unacceptable, would be prohibited under Prevention of Cruelty legislation ".

Why control feral animals?

It is often taken for granted that feral animals should be controlled or even eradicated. They are accused of causing all sorts of damage. However, a Senate Select Committee inquiry concluded that much more research was required. For example, Dr Peter O'Brien, Principal Research Scientist with the Bureau of Rural Research, gave evidence that there was little comprehensive and qualitative data on damage caused by feral animals, adding that: " there is a need for much more extensive long-term studies of impact ". Similarly, according to the Northern Territory Government: " ...although the impact of feral animals is widely accepted, relatively few detailed or rigorous studies have been conducted " (1).

Here are some adverse effects feral animals are accused of, but bear in mind the comments that very little good research has been done on the actual extent and severity of these problems.

Damage to wetlands and waterholes

Buffaloes and pigs wallow in mud around swamps and waterholes. Pigs also root in the ground with their snouts. They muddy the water, destroy water plants and damage roots of surrounding trees.

Soil erosion

Grazing animals such as horses and rabbits eat off vegetation that covers the soil and holds it together. Once the earth is bare, it is susceptible to wind and water erosion. Hard hooves compact the, soil and create tracks that can be eroded into gullies.

However, it must be remembered that there are 126 million sheep and 27 million cattle in Australia. These hard-hoofed grazing animals also increase soil erosion.

Reduced fodder for domestic animals

It has been estimated that 9 rabbits eat as much as 1 sheep (3). According to the Northern Territory government, the forage removed by 100 horses would feed 45-128 cattle (1). Similarly, a brumby catcher stated: " If you get rid of 1000 horses from a station, you will be able to run another 1200-1500 cattle " (6).

If people are genuinely concerned about environmental damage and depriving native animals of feed and habitat, then it is hypocritical to replace feral animals with domestic animals who have the same effect. As a Northern Territory government officer stated (1):
" ...many of the environmental impacts ... are purely the result of too many animals on a particular area of land, whether they be managed or unmanaged animals ".

Reduced feed and habitat for native animals

Introduced animals can compete with native animals for food. For example, one study found a large overlap in the diet of the rabbit and the rare yellow-footed rock wallaby, so rabbits are competing with the wallabies for food (3). Competition is particularly severe during drought when food and water are scarce for all animals. Bilbies and bettongs are reputed to disappear in areas invaded by rabbits (3). The bilby, once common in southern Australia, is now only found in isolated parts of central Australia where there are no rabbits (7).

In evidence to the Senate Select Committee, the Central Australian Conservation Council stated that 42% of all arid zone mammals were threatened and 14 species were extinct. They blamed feral animals (1).
" The decline has resulted from the damage and fragmentation of the habitat of native species . Massive populations of feral animals, including horses, are largely responsible for the destruction of critical habitat ".

Such claims ignore human effects on the landscape. Much of the continent has been cleared of native vegetation, and clearing goes on to this day. Obviously this has destroyed the habitat of many native animals. Also 126 million sheep and 27 million cattle compete with native animals for food. It is very simplistic to blame feral animals for all the environmental problems in Australia.

Damage to fences

Horses in particular are blamed for damaging fences. However, many people, including RSPCA Australia, are not convinced that this is the case. " Discussions with horse owners indicate that horses, in general, only break shoddily erected, poor quality fences " (8).

Prevent regeneration of trees and shrubs

Some animals eat trees and shrubs and so prevent regeneration of native vegetation. For example, when food is scarce, rabbits will eat leaves, bark and roots of shrubs. Rabbits may eat off the seedlings of some species. This is particularly a problem in arid areas where seeds don't germinate on a regular basis. Up to 90% of seedlings in some tree planting programs have been eaten (7). Other grazing animals, such as sheep and cattle, can also prevent regeneration.

Kill native animals and stock

Foxes and cats feed on rabbits. They kill 25%-75% of nestling rabbits and have a significant effect on the population (3). However, they also kill small native animals. Pigs kill a variety of animals, including lambs as well as native species. While pigs can kill many lambs in a specific area, overall only 2-5% of healthy lamb deaths are due to predators (9). A much larger percentage of lambs die because of poor husbandry - lack of shelter from bad weather and poor feed for ewes during pregnancy and lactation.

In summary:

• feral animals, like other animals, have feelings and deserve to be treated with consideration. They must not be killed by methods that cause suffering and are clearly inhumane.
• claims of damage caused by feral animals must be based on rigorous scientific assessment, not anecdotal evidence.
• people must keep an open mind and examine the evidence, rather than making feral animals a scapegoat for all Australia's environmental problems. The impact of feral animals must be considered in conjunction with the impact of humans, their domestic animals, and the way agriculture has changed the landscape.

For a statement from the Bureau of Resource Sciences in Canberra, see Myths and misconceptions about pest animal impact and management.

There are occasions when feral animal populations need to be reduced. It is pitiful to see photos of dead brumbies in dried up waterholes during droughts. These animals suffered a drawn-out death, and it would have been more humane to shoot them. The same can be said when rabbits literally eat themselves out of house and home and the population crashes. However, whenever animals are killed, it must be done in a humane way, which is not the case at present.

It is also important to realise that killing is not an effective solution in the long run - unless killing goes on year after year the population will build up again. Rabbit populations recovered after the initial onslaught of myxomatosis. Before the "escape" of the calicivirus there were an estimated 200-300 million rabbits in Australia. While many have been killed by the calicivirus, populations are already starting to recover.

The same also applies to shooting. From 1981-1984 there were 83,000 donkeys killed in the Victoria River district of the Northern Territory. However, there was no follow-up and the numbers are now back to where they were before the killing started (1).

Killing must be a last resort. Alternatives such as deterrents and exclusion fencing can be used to keep feral animals out of paddocks and to stop them eating seedlings. In the long-term fertility control is the best way to reduce populations rather than killing.

I would like to go to other documents on feral animals:

Trapping
Poisons
Introduced diseases
Mustering for slaughter and export
Other methods (shooting, warren ripping, dogging)
Alternatives to killing

References