What is being done about wild dogs? The question was put to CEO Rachel Brophy in the September meeting of council by Cr Russell Wantling and her answer in the October meeting raised some discussion.
One councillor called it “the most substantive discussion we’ve had a bout a CEO’s report in this term of council.”
Ms Brophy’s response was that the SDRC programs for wild dogs are working, but they operate as a continuous suppression strategy rather than a permanent eradication.
“Because the region features diverse terrain, from dense national parks to absentee grazing lands, alongside expanding lifestyle blocks, council programs require repeat involvement to keep wild dog numbers from growing.”
Cr Carla Pidgeon said that “wild dogs are going to continue to be a problem across the Southern Downs. It’s something that we’re looking forward to addressing in the biosecurity strategy.” She urged landholders to be coordinated and praised the Feral Scan App is being used successfully.
Cr Cynthia McDonald said she “can’t emphasise enough the concern I have for our agricultural industry with the way in which dogs are multiplying within this region. WE stand potentially to lose some of our biggest industries within agriculture, particular those that are vulnerable such as sheep, smaller animals and goats.
Cr McDonald recently lost 10 lambs to wild dogs in one night.
“I’m sick of losing animals to dogs, wild dogs that come down out of the mountains and I’m not the only one.”
Cr McDonald is disappointed that the federal government cut the dog program by five years, which “lost a lot of funding”. She urged council to interact with Minister for Agriculture Anthony Perrett.
Cr Bartley said there was a wild dog working group that met in Dalveen regularly which attracted state government interest. He pointed out there are two agendas at work, both eradication and protection of dingoes and some wild dog populations. Baiting is no longer an viable option both politically and environmentally.
“I used to feed lambs annually during winter. I gave up 15 years ago. I gave up. You just couldn’t beat it. They’d come down, feast, they’d probably kill one, injure about 20. The 20 that got injured never cam any good. So there goes a profit in one night as Cr McDonald says.”
He suggested reforming the wild dog working group and tgetting the state government involved again to see the issues.
Cr Harslett suggested agreed in an effort to push for better dog management with coordination across councils to pressure state and federal agencies.
Cr Russell Wantling thanked Cr McDonald for her “ongoing commitment and tireless advocacy” about wild dogs.
Cr Richters called the conversation “fantastic” and said it was an unusually substantive discussion on the CEO’s report.
“I think it’s great to see what we can effectively do during general business. The conversation has been fantastic.”
