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Part of the Farmer Group Rural Newspapers Covering Victoria Published since 1984
AUGUST, 2013
37 Rowan Street, Wangaratta 3677
PAGES 12-13
PAGES 14-15
PAGE 22
Financial Planning
Building and Renovating
Pest Control
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Wild dog carnage Study reveals wild dogs to wipe out sheep production By JODIE FLEMING
LITTLE LAMB: TRYING to keep warm and catch up on a little shut eye, this new-born lamb
arrived into the world just in time to attend its first Australian Sheep and Wool Show at Bendigo. See story and pictures on page 8. PHOTO COURTESY: Michael Sibley
Continued page 6
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A NEW scientific study warns that the rangeland production of sheep in Australia is likely to disappear in 30 to 40 years due to the predation of wild dogs unless there is substantial effort between landholders, government, industry and researchers to address the problem. The study, which appeared in the Australian Veterinary Journal, concludes that unless wild dogs and sheep are separated, wild dogs will continue to have a substantial impact on sheep production and all effort should be made to keep wild dogs out of sheep grazing country if the industry is to continue in Australia. Scientific reviewer from Invasive Animals CRC Ben Allen said that while wild dogs are not the “sole cause” for the contraction of the sheep industry, they are one of the major causes. “Consequently, without substantial effort put into integrated wild dog control programs, then,
at the rate the industry is presently contracting, the rangeland sheep grazing industry will likely disappear within 30 to 40 years,” Mr Allen said. “Changes to wild dog control efforts, commodity prices and grazing enterprise operations over the past 20 years have contributed to the contraction of the sheep industry in the pastoral zone. “This will probably continue unless efforts by landholders to coordinate and integrate wild dog control increase and the small livestock susceptible to wild dog predation become highly valuable. “Fortunately, the National Wild Dog Facilitator initiative by the Invasive Animals CRC, funded by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), as well as other wild dog officers with state and local government agencies are great steps forward in assisting land managers to develop and maintain cooperative programs to manage wild dogs across Australia,” he said.