28 February 2020
The Southern Downs Region has some of the most diverse, fertile, and breathtaking landscapes in Queensland. These stunning landscapes are home to growers that farm exceptional produce, viticulturists that produce award winning wines, and pastoralists that raise carefully bred and tended livestock. Unfortunately, one major threat to all of these primary producers is feral pigs.
Feral pigs can devastate land that is utilised for any of the above industries as well as spread disease, brutally maim, and kill livestock.
Southern Queensland Landscapes in conjunction with Southern Downs Regional Council hosted a series of Feral Pig Management Workshops at Stanthorpe on Tuesday 11 February and Wildash on Wednesday 12 Febraury with renowned researcher and speaker Darren Marshall, and generously funded by the Federal Government, to help Southern Downs residents understand the intricacies of feral pig management.
In Australia, there are over 22 million wild Eurasian Boar. By comparison, there are only 2 million domestic pigs residing here. Unfortunately, wild Eurasian Boar have been in Australia as long as European settlers have been, which has led to a well-adapted invasive species.
Darren Marshall has spent years researching and understanding the best way to control this invasive species. In recent years, Darren’s research has focussed on understanding the behaviours of feral pigs, so that the control measures put in place remove the invasive species but leave agricultural industries and native species populations intact. Some of this research has included the collaring of feral pigs to better understand their movements throughout various seasons. Understanding these behavioural patterns has lead landowners to place baits in better positions, target a particular population, and to know where to monitor in future.
At the workshop, Darren explained the significance of taking the time to understand, not only the behaviours of the wild pigs that are decimating farmland, but also taking the time to assess the true size of a colony.
“Many people will set up motion cameras and watch for a few nights and assume there are only four or five pigs in an area. To really understand the number of pigs in an area can take several weeks” said Darren.
“Free-feeding a group of pigs may seem counterintuitive, but this will draw out some of the more cautious, less dominant, or bait-shy animals that you might never have seen.
“We visited a property where the owner was certain there was a group of 80 pigs on his property. Using a free-feeding method and careful monitoring we later found out that there was in actuality over 180 pigs in the area.
“If this landowner had managed to cull all 80 pigs that he was certain were the only pigs in the area, the population would have rebounded to the original numbers within a few seasons”
Feral pigs will reproduce at an incredible rate, with one single sow turning into 20 pigs in the space of 12 months in good conditions. This ability to replenish their numbers means that the control methods employed to stop feral pigs from wreaking havoc on agricultural properties must reduce populations by 75-85% just to prevent numbers from increasing.
But while these numbers may seem impossible to attain, Darren is very confident that with coordinated and well planned measures, population control is very possible.
“A pig’s greatest weakness is their reliance on water. These animals have very few sweat glands, which means in order to regulate their body temperature a pig needs to wallow at least twice a day” Darren said.
“During the hottest and driest times of the year – when pigs are at the most vulnerable – is the most important time to control numbers.
“There is absolutely no point trying to control a booming population in the midst of winter or spring. It just won’t work.”
Darren’s take-home message was the importance of coordinating control measures.
“Baiting on one property is useless. You might kill a few pigs, but the majority of a colony will just learn not to feed in that particular space. This doesn’t help your neighbours or the wider community,” he said.
“Coordinating a controlled approach to baiting and aerial shooting is the most effective way to reduce a population.
“There are a number of ways to control feral pigs, and I believe each has its place. But it is critical that these various approaches are actioned in the correct order and actioned by as many landholders as possible.”
Some of the methods discussed in the workshop included:
· Baiting (ground and aerial)
· Aerial shooting
· Trapping
· Strategic ground shooting
· Hunting
· Exclusion fencing
“There is a place for all of these methods, and the logical order to do this – top to bottom” he said.
Furthermore, Darren explained the critical importance of using a coordinated program across several properties. Should you need assistance in the coordination of such action, please contact Southern Downs Regional Council or Southern Queensland Landscapes.
Southern Queensland Landscapes, Southern Downs Regional Council, and the Federal Government are all dedicated to ensuring the biodiversity, economic security, and ecological sustainability of the Southern Downs Region.
For more information on what was discussed at the Feral Pig Management Workshops, further information on feral pigs in Australia, or for assistance creating and maintaining an invasive species control program, please contact Southern Downs Regional Council on 1300 697 372 or Southern Queensland Landscapes on (07) 4620 0111.