Feral Animals
1080 Baiting Program
Calicivirus Baiting Program
Invasive Pest Animal Trapping Program
Wild Dog Scalp bounty
About invasive pest animals
Feral animals or invasive pest animals pose a major economic, environmental and social threat to the Gladstone region. The main invasive pest animals of concern in the region are:
Help map feral animal sightings in the Gladstone Region. Feral Scan allows the community to map sightings of feral animals and assists Gladstone Regional Council in improving its pest management programs.
Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), all landholders have a General Biosecurity Obligation (GBO) to manage the risks that invasive pest animals pose. To assist landholders in meeting this obligation, Gladstone Regional Council provides a number of invasive pest animal programs (listed below).
For further information on any of these programs, please contact Council.
1080 Baiting Program
Sodium fluoroacetate (1080) is a very useful pesticide for the control of pest animals and has been used throughout Australia since the early 1960s. 1080 is the most efficient, humane and species-specific pesticide currently available for declared animal control in Australia. In Queensland, 1080 is registered for use in the control of wild dogs, feral pigs, foxes and rabbits.
Council offers rural landholders the opportunity to participate in 1080 baiting campaigns to control invasive pest animals such as wild dogs and feral pigs on their properties within the Gladstone Region. These campaigns are generally conducted in April/May (early Winter) and again in August/September (early Spring).
Council can also provide 1080 baits to rural landholders outside of the baiting campaign dates if the landholder can demonstrate a 'justifiable need'.
Landholders can apply directly to Queensland Health for a 1080 Permit through the completion of an electronic form. The Permit allows landholders to purchase and store premanufactured baits and Canid Pest Ejectors without the need to contact Council.
Calicivirus Baiting Program
Rabbit Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (VHD), or Calicivirus, is a virus specific to rabbits which works by infecting the lining of the throat, lungs, gut and liver. The virus relies primarily on direct rabbit-to-rabbit contact in order to spread, and therefore, best results are achieved on properties with high rabbit numbers.
Resistance to Calicivirus depends primarily on the age of the rabbit. Therefore, it is better for the virus to be introduced to a population after the rabbits have bred and the young are old enough to be affected by the virus.
Council offers rural landholders the opportunity to participate in a Calicivirus Baiting Program to control wild rabbits on their properties within the Gladstone Region. These campaigns are generally conducted in March/April and again in September/October and are free to participate.
Invasive Pest Animal Trapping Program
Council offers rural landholders the opportunity to loan invasive pest animal traps to control invasive pest animals on their land within the Gladstone region. Trapping is an integral component in invasive pest animal control and can provide suitable control all year round.
Council's invasive pest animal trapping program provides landholders with traps to control:
- Feral cats (cage traps)
- Wild dogs (foot hold and cage traps)
- Indian Myna birds (cage traps)
- European fox (cage traps)
- Rabbits (cage traps)
- Feral pig (cage traps).
Wild Dog Scalp Bounty
Council offers landholders access to a $35 Wild Dog Scalp Bounty for scalps collected within the Gladstone Regional Council local government area.
Scalps must be the entire length of the body of the animal, dried or salted and contained within a plastic or hessian bag.
Council officers collect scalps every Friday between 7am to 12pm and landholders must contact Council to arrange an appointment.