Invasive animal research

Brisbane feral deer management

Project leader: Matt Amos

Supported by funding from the Australian Government, this project will focus on detecting and suppressing deer incursions along the Brisbane local government boundary to. We will also use regulatory powers to initiate management activities for large land holdings that provide feral deer harbour.

Consolidating deer management in North Queensland using conventional and thermal-assisted aerial culling

Project leader: Matt Amos

In this project, we will greatly reduce an isolated and localised chital deer population in the Whitsunday Regional Council area by aerial culling. The lowered density can then be further reduced or maintained in a regular culling program run by the council with contributions from private landholders. Environmental and economic assessments of deer impacts will encourage landholder support for an expansion of the control program in the region.

We will also assess thermal-assisted aerial control, as it increases control efficacy in southern, temperate Australia. Effectiveness in the tropics may be less, given the lower temperature difference between deer and the environment, and so needs testing. The project is supported by funding from the Australian Government, Queensland local governments and the Queensland Government.

Refining management of feral deer in Queensland

Project leader: Matt Amos

Wild deer are widely distributed and increasing in eastern Australia, posing an increasing risk to communities (particularly as a road hazard), to agriculture and to the environment. Control tools are limited and their applicability depends on site-specific factors such as landform, vegetation, human habitation and target deer species. Efficacy of control tools is not well known but is needed for land managers who are planning control operations.

To that end, we will finalise the assessment of the effectiveness of 5 current management programs in southern and central coastal Queensland. The assessment employed different methods for monitoring changes in deer abundance in different environments and deer densities. Those methods need to be documented for further use in deer management. Also, we will assess a further monitoring method for use in Queensland’s peri-urban areas.

Strategic deer management in central western Queensland

Project leader: Matt Amos

Two isolated but growing populations of roughly 500 chital deer each are at the western edge of the species’ Queensland range. They are an increasing hazard on major highways and are causing problems in the towns of Barcaldine and Alpha during dry times. They compete with cattle and are a vector of cattle tick across the tick line at Alpha.

Aerial culling should be able to cost-effectively reduce populations substantially to enable ongoing suppression and possible local eradication, and restrict the species’ spread. A cull is required before an expected surge in numbers following widespread flooding. The project is supported by funding from the Australian Government, Queensland local governments and the Queensland Government.

National feral deer containment buffer zone workshops

Project leader: Michael Brennan

We will hold 3 feral deer workshops outside the main ranges of the 4 deer species in Queensland, which are in the east of the state. The National Feral Deer Action Plan identifies deer populations in a 'containment buffer zone' as a priority for control. The plan is to contain the spread of deer where populations are isolated and in sufficiently low numbers to be:

• feasibly reduced to and maintained at very low numbers
• potentially locally eradicated.

Biosecurity Queensland will deliver these workshops as part of the Queensland commitment to the National Feral Deer Action Plan. Workshop attendees will help identify any new or emerging populations of deer and be provided with a range of information including control options, communication material and Queensland's current approach to deer management.

Improving feral pig baiting practices

Project leader: Peter Elsworth

Current approved baits for feral pigs in Queensland are soaked grain, dyed green with 288mg/kg grain of 1080. Soaked grain is largely a remnant of historical regulatory practices in Queensland aimed at avoiding storage and use in later unauthorised baiting events. However, with current commercial shelf-stable baits and storage guidelines, the use of soaked grain is unnecessary. Also, it may be detrimental to the efficacy and effectiveness of baiting campaigns as users look for streamlined practices in baiting.

Soaked grain baits cannot be used as 'wet' 1080 bait in pig-specific feeders as they cause clogging and feeding issues. These feeders are desirable as they allow free-feeding and bait deployment with less labour for landholders. Also, some local governments have asked for other bait substrates such as melons, nuts and cucurbits to be examined to take advantage of local feeding habits of pigs. We will investigate testing for efficacy and safety of these additions as required for registration.

Agricultural impacts of feral pigs in Australia

Project leader: Matthew Gentle

Feral pigs can have a wide range of impacts in agricultural landscapes, including:

• damage to crops, pasture and infrastructure
• lamb predation
• weed dispersal
• reduced water quality
• disease transmission to domestic livestock, wildlife, humans and plants.

Despite these extensive impacts, there has not been a comprehensive review of the agricultural impacts of feral pigs for about 30 years.

In this project, we will undertake a desktop review to update our knowledge of agricultural impacts of feral pigs. We will also investigate how technologies, including satellite and drone imagery, could be used to quantify the impacts of feral pigs on crops and pastures. This knowledge would help to provide better estimates of when and where feral pig damage is occurring and how these impacts translate into reduced productivity and profitability. We will conduct this work for the northern cropping region (southern Queensland and northern New South Wales), but the outcomes will be applicable to other regions of Australia.

Feral pig movements, contact rates, disease prevalence and management in southern Queensland

Project leader: Matthew Gentle

Feral pigs are reservoirs of infectious diseases that are of economic or public health significance. Many of these diseases are exotic to Australia. Preparedness strategies for the management of feral pig diseases rely on the use of disease transmission models, including the Australian Animal Disease Spread Model (AADIS) for African Swine Fever.

In this project, our primary aim is to collect data on feral pig movements and interactions with intensive livestock production facilities, to inform:

• enterprise risk and disease modelling (including contact-based disease models)
• pig management strategies.

We will examine animal traits (such as sex, age and social group) that may affect movement, dispersal and contact rates. We will also investigate the prevalence and potential transmission of priority diseases in feral pig populations. We will collect and assess data on pig movement, disease prevalence and contact rate in collaboration with research programs at the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and the University of Sydney.

Pest animal control—toxin permit support

Project leader: Matthew Gentle

Following the transition away from Queensland Government supply and registration of toxins, there are a number of toxins and uses that require ongoing assessments for potential suitability, supply or as alternatives under minor-use permits or national registration. In this project, using the technical resources and knowledge of pest animal researchers, we consult with stakeholders and regulators to collate, review and evaluate data to ensure the optimal and safe use of (suitable) vertebrate toxins in Queensland. This work will contribute to evaluation of permits issued by the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority for minor use of baits and toxins in Queensland.

Assessment of new technologies for improved surveillance and management of vertebrate pest incursions in Queensland

Project leader: Lana Harriott

New pest animal incursions are regularly occurring across the Queensland border, posing significant risk to our environment, agricultural industries and society. Early detection and rapid response are essential to prevent their establishment. Surveillance and swift action to locate and remove all individuals of a new pest species is primarily operational in nature, but tools to undertake those activities need to be understood and available for implementing at short notice.

In this project we will build on previous research by continuing to identify and build strategies for monitoring and managing incursions of new species. The key output will include a review of acoustic monitoring for new incursions using the tokay gecko and red-eared slider turtle as case studies for development of monitoring methods. Additional outputs will include continued reports on new incursions of exotic species to Queensland and identification of priority research needs.

Ecology and management of wild dogs in Queensland

Project leader: Lana Harriott

Wild dogs (Canis familiaris) remain one of the most significant pest animal species in Queensland. Information and methods that can improve management are continually sought from land managers. Effective management of wild dogs requires evidence-based understanding of their impacts and behavioural responses to control tools.

In this project we aim to better understand wild dog impacts using new technology. Camera collars allow traditional GPS data to be collected along with video footage, but the value of the latter needs assessment. We will compare traditional GPS collars with the camera collars in an environment where there is regular human interaction.

Coordinated management of feral deer in Queensland

Project leader: Tony Pople

In this project we will undertake coordinated management of feral deer in Queensland. There are currently 4 species of feral deer with expanding populations in the state. Of these, 3 long-established populations are large and widespread, requiring control to both contain and reduce impacts. Outside these populations are small, satellite populations that could be eradicated or at least held at low density and contained.

Clear, often differing objectives (such as early detection, eradication, containment and control) are needed to cost-effectively manage deer populations across regions, and this is articulated in the National Feral Deer Action Plan. We aim to clarify these objectives and will also underpin the current revision of the Queensland Feral Deer Management Strategy.

Ecology and management of chital deer in North Queensland

Project leader: Tony Pople

This project was initiated from increasing concern over the growing numbers and spread of feral deer in Queensland and indeed across eastern Australia. Numerous organisations collaborated to better understand the ecology of chital deer (Axis axis), the now abundant and widespread deer species in North Queensland, to support their management.

Various funding sources have enabled the work to span just over a decade. Satellite telemetry (50 collared females) and about 55 remote cameras are describing movement patterns, habitat use and, most importantly, survival rates of adults and fawns. We are currently analysing the data and documenting the results.