Wild dog trapping program – information for land managers and producers

Controlling wild dogs inside the Dog Fence

The livestock industry in South Australia is deeply concerned about the impact of wild dogs on livestock inside the Dog Fence.

The Commonwealth, State Government, the sheep industry and landscape boards have committed around $2 million to extend the wild dog trapper program to 30 June 2026. Since, 2018, this program has removed over 700 wild dogs from inside the Dog Fence.

Control of wild dogs is most effective when baiting, shooting, and trapping are used as part of an integrated control program. Trapping is particularly useful for targeting wild dogs that avoid baits.

Do you require the services of a wild dog trapper?

The wild dog trappers are deployed to all regions inside the SA Dog Fence, except for Kangaroo Island where there are no wild dogs.

To support the trapping and ground baiting programs, aerial baiting programs targeting wild dog hotspots are undertaken annually. Since 2020, PIRSA and regional landscape boards have coordinated 7 aerial baiting programs, delivering over 260,000 baits to inaccessible areas inside the Dog Fence.

Apply for wild dog trapping

Land managers are encouraged to apply for the services of a wild dog trapper on their property.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, land managers must:

  • in the last 6 months, have carried out baiting on their property in line with legal requirements – use this online tool to check the baiting requirements for your region
  • allow the trapper to trap, shoot, and bait for wild dogs on their properties
  • provide the trapper with 1080 baits to lay during the trapping program
  • agree that information relating to wild dog activity, impacts and control (including baiting), recorded by the trapper on their properties, be made publicly available on WildDogScan
  • participate in wild dog control training by the trapper, and/or allow their property staff to participate
  • agree to complete a 5-minute survey by PIRSA about their experiences with the trapper
  • agree to have their Pastoral Board property maps issued to trappers, if applicable.

Preference will be given to properties where neighbours are working together to control wild dogs. The trapper must be able to work across neighbouring properties.

Applications will be measured against the above criteria using the Application Assessment Tool (XLS 27.5 KB).

To assist the trappers and wild dog coordinators, land managers are encouraged to upload recent wild dog activity and control data to WildDogScan. Participating properties will also be able to track the trapper’s results through WildDogScan.

This map of wild dog affected areas (JPG 64.6 KB) shows where wild dogs are known to be a problem – it is indicative only.

Application form

If you meet the above criteria, complete the wild dog trapping application form (PDF 144.0 KB).

Trapper allocation

PIRSA's State Wild Dog Coordinator will allocate trappers to land managers who are affected by wild dogs inside the Dog Fence.

Trappers will be allocated in accordance with criteria developed by the South Australian Wild Dog Advisory Group using a Trapper Allocation Decision Making Tool (XLS 29.5 KB). The Group will oversee the trapper program and advise relevant Ministers on program outcomes.

The individual trappers will be allocated contract trapping work based on:

  • ranking of trappers by the committee that evaluated the tenders against the specifications
  • cost per day of trappers
  • availability of trappers
  • ability of trappers to meet reporting requirements
  • familiarity of trappers with the property where trapping is required
  • satisfaction of the land managers where the trapper worked previously.

Land managers will not be able to select or influence which trapper is allocated to their property, but they can provide feedback on the performance of the trapper during a 5-minute survey following the work.

Contact

State Wild Dog Coordinator
Phone: (08) 8429 2398
Email: pirsa.invasivespecies@sa.gov.au

Page last reviewed: 05 Oct 2022

 


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