Feral pig numbers appear to be on the increase in Australia, causing concern to a number of authorities and landowners across a wide area of southern NSW.
Feral pigs cause environmental destruction, cost the agricultural industry millions of dollars and pose a serious disease risk.
Leader of the Uptake Products and Strategies program with the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (IA CRC), Dr Steven Lapidge reports feral pigs carry about 20 different exotic diseases, which could have crippling consequences for human and animal health.
“They are highly mobile and can recover quickly from reductions in population size, either by immigration or reproduction, making them ideal transporters of exotic diseases.
“It is estimated there are between four-23 million feral pigs in Australia at any one time, depending on environmental variables such as drought, so it is important Australia is equipped to manage any potential for disease outbreak,” said Dr Lapidge.
According to Tim Wall, a Ranger with the Western Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA) based at Wilcannia, pig numbers are on the rise and will continue to increase after the excellent rain that led to flooding in north west NSW.
Mr Wall operates in an area covering over 4.6 million hectares.
“I have had reports from landowners that pig numbers are on the increase in these areas.
“Recent trappings on one property alone saw 35 pigs caught in our traps.
“This will mean that all landowners need to report any sightings to the LHPA authorities so we can plan a control program for the region.
“We work with other LHPA regions and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in a coordinated approach to the problem,” said Mr Wall.
According to Michael Lane, ranger with the Hume LHPA at Gundagai, a different set of issues exist in the Southern Tablelands region.
“A lot of our country is inaccessible with private landowners, state forests and national parks.
“There is a more static feral pig population.
“Feral pigs move onto farming land seeking water, especially in drought conditions,” said Mr Lane.
Landowners on the edges of national parks and state forests need to report sightings of feral pigs to the Hume LHPA so appropriate control programs can be developed.
“We need all stakeholders to be involved in a coordinated approach like we have for wild dog control,” said Mr Lane.
A grant application under the Federal Governments’ Caring For Our Country program has been lodged for feral pig control in the Adjungbilly and Gobarralong
districts.
Concerns about feral pigs carrying disease are alarming and Dr Lapidge says new ideas and techniques to predict and manage potential disease spread in feral pigs are always needed.
“We are using a different approach based on forensic techniques involving genetics.
“This allows us to analyse and provide estimates on the movement of feral pigs, particularly large dominant boars.
“Transmission rates of exotic disease can then be estimated and management programs developed.
“It is all about trying to understand where disease may spread and where it may naturally stop.
Dr Lapidge says more proactive tools to minimise exotic disease threats are also in the pipeline, which will benefit agriculture and the Australian environment.
Email a friend