New case study video showcases coordinated wild dog control success ahead of baiting season

Landholders across Australia are being urged to work together and implement coordinated control programs as the National Wild Dog Action Plan (NWDAP) releases a new case study video filmed at Wildash, a rural locality in the Southern Downs Region of Queensland ahead of wild dog baiting season.

The video captures the on-ground experiences of the Wildash wild dog management group. It demonstrates how coordinated, cross tenure wild dog control is transforming producers’ ability to manage wild dog impacts on livestock, their communities and local wildlife populations.

National Wild Dog Management Coordinator, Greg Mifsud, said the case study comes at a critical time for producers preparing seasonal baiting programs.

“Wild dogs don’t recognise fences or property boundaries, which is why coordinated control across properties and tenures is absolutely essential,” Mr Mifsud said.

“As we head into the autumn baiting period, this video is a timely reminder that working together – planning, communicating and coordinating – delivers the strongest results.”

The case study features landholders who have benefited firsthand from a coordinated approach which reduces both livestock suffering and risks to human safety while reviving local populations of bettongs and quolls.

“We all get on the phone, make sure everyone’s ready, and then we bait at the same time. That’s when you really start to see the difference,” the landholder said.

The Wildash group also highlighted the need to make changes based on best practice, research and local knowledge: more baits aren’t necessarily better.

“There’s always new research and new ideas coming through and taking that on board has really helped us improve and keep moving forward.”

“When we started coordinating our baiting and doing multiple programs close together, that’s when we really saw the results.”

Mr Mifsud said the video reinforces the importance of aligning control efforts not only across neighbouring properties, but also across land tenures and state borders where possible.

“That means landholders, government agencies and communities working together in a coordinated way, using tools like baiting, trapping and exclusion fencing as part of a broader program.”

With wild dog management programs either in progress or commencing in the coming months landholders are encouraged to:

• engage early with neighbours and local wild dog groups to commence planning
• coordinate the timing of baiting and other control measures
• work across property boundaries and, where possible, across tenures and borders.

The video can be viewed on the NWDAP website.

“This case study is a practical demonstration of how landholders work together to deliver effective best practice management programs for their community, livelihoods and native wildlife” Mr Mifsud said.

“It shows that coordinated action isn’t just a theory, it delivers real outcomes for producers, their livestock and their communities.”