Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
Date of this Version
December 1985
Abstract
There are numerous wildlife damage problems in Australia. The major pests include rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), foxes (Vulpes vulpes), starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), feral cats (Felis catus), donkeys (Equus asinus), goats (Capra hircus), buffalo (Bubalus trutralis), pigs (Sus scrofa), all of which have been introduced. The dingo (Canis familiaris dingo), classified as being a native species by most people, is the primary native animal causing problems, although others, such as kangaroos and several native bird species, are pests in some areas. The Australians spend considerable amounts of money on wildlife damage control research. The people of Western Australia take a regulatory approach to most of their wildlife problems. The concept of declaring species as pests allows the Australians to regulate what can and should be done to control these species. Australian wildlife control programs range from conducting control activities to simply advising as to what should be done. The Australians often designate areas where control should (or should not) be undertaken. This approach allows clear decisions to be made about control program expenditures and resource deployment