A joint project by the Department of Primary Industry and Resources (DPIR) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is focussed on the management of wild dogs. Together, the aim is to put a real cost on the impact of wild dogs, and to contribute information that could be considered by industry in the future development of best practice guidelines.
The DPIR component of this research will establish a practical system to capture frequency data on wild dog damage of calves and weaners within breeding herds of the Northern Territory. Using this data, overall region and Station estimates for the frequency of mauled young cattle presenting at muster will be derived and associations between risk factors (cow-age class, baiting method, proximity to a national park, etc.) explored. Equally of interest is the determination of indicators of wild dog activity and gauging the effectiveness of practices to regulate the control of wild dogs.
The DENR is interested in fully-informed management of wild dogs that is based on evidence. The project aims to review relevant research, interstate practices, new techniques and the range of different management styles applied across the NT to manage wild dogs. It is considered timely as producers venture further into this era of landholder-driven control.