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Aussies warned over major national park hazard to tackle 'big threat' from this week
Aussies warned over major national park hazard to tackle 'big threat' from this week

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Yahoo

Aussies warned over major national park hazard to tackle 'big threat' from this week

Australians are being reminded that in just a matter of days, an expansive fox baiting program is due to commence on the east coast, aimed at reducing the growing population of the highly adaptable and invasive predator. Across the country, foxes kill hundreds of millions of native animals per year, and in New South Wales, the pest is widespread. It's estimated they cost governments millions annually in eradication efforts, livestock losses, and environmental damage, meaning regular control efforts are critical to ensure their management remains possible. The NSW Evrionment Department carries out fox control several times a year. But despite this, they're still found across up to 90 per cent of the state. From August 1 until January next year, another round of baiting will be conducted across NSW national parks and reserves, by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The announcement prompted a callout from a number of local vets, warning that toxic bait is also harmful to domestic pets. They urged owners to be aware of the signs of ingestion, and to avoid areas where the poison will be laid. In NSW, it's actually illegal to walk pets in most national parks, but despite this, evidence suggests it regularly occurs — either among people flouting the law or doing so unwittingly. Speaking to Yahoo News, a NPWS spokesperson detailed the true scale of the threat foxes pose to both the state, and the nation. They explained that a "range of strictly controlled methods" are used to manage feral animals in national parks, with "decisions about control methods" for a particular species and circumstance made in consideration of humaneness and effectiveness. "Invasive species are one of the biggest threats to native plants and animals and cause extensive damage to the environment, along with billions of dollars' worth of damage to Australian agricultural production each year," they said. "Sodium fluoroacetate (1080) is the most effective landscape fox control method. 1080 is a naturally occurring compound found in some native plant species that rapidly breaks down in the environment." They said extensive research has shown that native animals — including lace monitors, quolls and birds — have a high tolerance to 1080 at the concentrations used to control foxes. Typically, 1080 fox baits resemble small chunks of meat or meat-like material, often dyed a distinct colour (usually green or red) to help identify them as toxic and discourage accidental handling. In the state, without large-scale control efforts, foxes can quickly recolonise areas where populations were reduced, due to their mobility and territorial behaviour. Is 1080 poison humane? While 1080 poison remains a key tool in controlling invasive pests like foxes and wild dogs across Australia, it continues to stir debate over animal welfare. Critics, including some animal welfare organisations, environmentalists, and vets, argue the poison causes prolonged and distressing deaths, citing symptoms like vomiting, convulsions and frenzied behaviour. They label it inhumane and push for tighter restrictions or alternatives. On the other hand, many scientific experts, particularly in conservation biology, defend the use of 1080 as a necessary evil in protecting native species. Australia's native wildlife has no natural defence against introduced predators like foxes and cats, which kill millions of animals annually. Without effective control, many endangered species face extinction. ☠️ Plea to Aussies over controversial substance found in bush 🦊 Aussie council under pressure as iconic species ravaged by invasive predator 🐜 Aussie mum's brutal injuries as property owners warned of painful threat Supporters argue that while 1080 isn't perfect, it's currently the most effective broadscale option, especially in remote or rugged areas where trapping or fencing isn't feasible. Research from institutions like the Invasive Species Council and CSIRO states that native animals are more tolerant to 1080 due to the presence of the chemical in some native plants. While concerns about cruelty remain, proponents say the ecological damage from unchecked predator populations would be far worse — and that alternatives either aren't viable at scale or pose greater risks to the environment. And across NSW, population decline is strongly dependent on sustained, coordinated control efforts, highlighting the need for urgent and consistent action. Why are foxes such a big problem in Australia? Foxes were introduced to Australia in the 1860s by Europeans for recreational hunting. But since then, their numbers have exploded exponentially across the country, largely due to a lack of natural predators. They feed on native species, particularly small mammals, reptiles, and ground-nesting birds, many of which are already vulnerable or endangered. Their introduction has significantly contributed to the decline of several native species, particularly small mammals like the bilby, numbat and bettong. Foxes' hunting behaviour is opportunistic and highly efficient, often killing more than they need. Beyond their environmental impact, they pose risks to agriculture by preying on lambs and spreading diseases such as hydatid tapeworm. Wildlife that benefit from fox control programs include brush-tailed rock-wallabies, malleefowl, bandicoots, little terns and plains wanderers, the NPWS said. It conducts feral animal management in partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Local Land Services, and other landholders and managers. From August, bait will be laid in numerous locations, including the Garigal, Lane Cove, Ku-ring-gai Chase and Sydney Harbour National Parks. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.

More than half of koalas relocated to NSW forest died in failed government attempt at reintroduction
More than half of koalas relocated to NSW forest died in failed government attempt at reintroduction

The Guardian

time13-07-2025

  • Health
  • The Guardian

More than half of koalas relocated to NSW forest died in failed government attempt at reintroduction

An attempt by the New South Wales government to reintroduce koalas to a forest in the state's far south has failed after more than half of the moved animals died, including two with signs of septicaemia, and the remaining marsupials were taken into care. The translocation and deaths of seven out of 13 koalas in April were not made public by the government, prompting questions about whether something went wrong with the project and calls from the NSW Greens for a review. The project was aiming to re-establish a koala population in an area of south-eastern NSW where the species is locally extinct. Translocation is part of NSW's koala strategy to try to improve the trajectory of the endangered species, at risk of extinction in the state. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email A spokesperson for the NSW environment department told Guardian Australia 13 koalas were selected for translocation in April and moved from 'a high-density population' in the Upper Nepean state conservation area west of Wollongong to the South East Forest national park near Bega. They said three koalas died within a two-day period in early April, which led the department's project team to put the remaining 10 animals into a wildlife hospital. Four more koalas died. They said necropsy results from two of the first three koalas that died revealed chronic and acute infections of the lungs and liver, suggesting septicaemia – a bloodstream infection – 'as the likely cause of death'. The spokesperson said the remaining six koalas were healthy and returned to their original habitat in the Upper Nepean. They said the reintroduction project was immediately put on hold for research to try to establish what caused the deaths. The team was 'investigating a potential link between septicaemia in koalas and adverse weather conditions, as the mortalities occurred four to five days after a significant rainfall event,' they said. 'We believe prolonged wet weather can pose serious health risks to koalas, disrupting feeding behaviour, inhibiting thermoregulation, and weakening the immune system.' They said the project team, in collaboration with researchers and veterinarians, would continue investigating 'the potential impact of heavy rainfall, as well as factors such as diet, nutrition, and gut microbiome on the success of future translocations'. The state Greens environment spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said the incident was 'deeply distressing' and sent 'a very cynical message that the government is focused on [a] high risk and failed koala program effort' while habitat destruction for development and logging continued. 'This koala translocation experiment has been a catastrophic failure and raises serious questions about how it happened,' she said. 'The control settings around this translocation experiment must now be brought into question and reviewed because it would appear they were flawed. 'It is deeply concerning that the government allowed this program in the circumstances and given the outcomes, it's clear they shouldn't have.' Carolyn Hogg, a professor of biodiversity and conservation at the University of Sydney, said wildlife translocation could be complex and the deaths were 'a really unfortunate event'. 'We do know unexpected weather events may cause pathogens to unexpectedly appear,' she said. Hogg said for NSW koala populations under pressure from habitat fragmentation and isolation, translocation projects were a management tool that could improve gene flow and genetic diversity. Valentina Mella is a senior lecturer in animal behaviour and conservation at the University of Sydney. Speaking generally, she said there were important scientific questions that should be considered before translocating wildlife into a new area. 'When you move an animal into a habitat that is considered suitable for that species but that species is not actually present, you have to ask yourself why,' she said. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'You have to do a really thorough investigation of why the animal is absent.' In the case of koalas, she said one consideration should be if suitable food was available because they were specialist folivores – leaf eaters – that only ate particular types of leaves. The department said all of the animals underwent a veterinary assessment and were found to be healthy and chlamydia negative before the translocation. They said the project was developed in consultation with stakeholders, including traditional owners, researchers, conservation groups, landholders and government agencies. They said the koalas were closely monitored after their release using satellite and VHF (very high frequency) collars, 'in accordance with strict animal ethics and scientific licensing requirements'. 'The koalas were observed regularly changing trees, foraging, and producing scat of normal quality. All of these are healthy behaviours we would hope to see post translocation,' they said. They said two other recent translocation projects had taken place in the state. The first relocated koalas from the Upper Nepean State Conservation Area to a predator-free fenced area in Yiraaldiya National Park in western Sydney. All the koalas were alive and healthy, the department said. A second had commenced in the Northern Rivers region, where there is competition for limited food trees. To try to improve the welfare of koalas in the area, nine animals were translocated to nearby Bungawalbin National Park. The department said three of the koalas had since died, with likely causes being tree fall or predation. The remaining koalas appeared healthy. 'There are many examples of successful koala translocations in Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Narrandera in NSW,' they said. 'Koala translocations are not a substitute for protecting koala habitat where healthy populations currently exist; both conservation actions have their role.' The NSW environment minister Penny Sharpe was unavailable for comment. Do you know more? Email

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