With a focus on laws and regulations in Australia relating to wild dogs, a new PestSmart fact sheet from the Invasive Animals CRC explains wild dog management legislation and policy often vary between jurisdictions at local and state levels, with overriding federal laws also affecting wild dog management.
The fact sheet details the following types of regulations that should be considered before beginning any wild dog management activity:
•Legal obligations on owners of land where wild dogs occur
The responsibility to manage wild dogs rests largely with the owners or managers of the land where wild dogs occur. In places where wild dogs are considered pests, landowners have a responsibility to control wild dogs on their land and prevent them from causing problems on neighbouring lands.
• Laws relating to animal welfare
People managing wild dogs are obligated to use control methods that minimise any potential pain, fear or distress. Codes of practice, standard operating procedures and best-practice guidelines for the management of wild dogs have been developed, are publically available and should be followed in order to prevent cruelty to animals during control operations.
• Laws relating to land tenure
In many cases, wild dogs are a ‘protected species’ in national parks and conservation reserves while they are considered ‘declared pests’ in many livestock production areas.
•Laws relating to the conservation status of specific wild dog populations
Controlling all wild dogs may be allowed along the boundaries of some conservation reserves, while core areas within a reserve may be set aside for wild dog conservation. An isolated island population (such as dingoes on Fraser Island) might be considered a unique natural asset worthy of conservation. Alternatively, people might want to only conserve pure dingoes but eliminate impure hybrids and feral dogs.
• Laws relating to the use of specific control techniques
There is specific legislation dealing with the use of firearms, which are often used to euthanise wild dogs in trapping or shooting programs. Various laws also govern the use of poisons and other veterinary drugs used to kill or safely handle wild dogs. Many of these chemicals have label instructions and directions for use that are legally binding.
• Laws relating to the use of animals for research and teaching
Some wild dog management activities might be considered ‘research and teaching activities’ in some jurisdictions, such as the systematic use of infra-red trail cameras or attaching tracking collars to wild dogs. If this is the case, various additional permits and approvals may be required before management activities can begin.
• Laws relating to the keeping, sale, and movement of wild dogs
Different states and territories may or may not allow the keeping of wild dogs as pets. A permit may be required to do so. Wild dogs may be seized and euthanised if they are being kept illegally.
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
All new wild dog control programs must be reviewed under the EPBC Act before they are put in place, to assess the program’s risk to threatened species in the area.
Wild dogs are identified by the national Vertebrate Pests Committee as a ‘Category 5 / Extreme’ species. Category 5 means that the animal is a recognised pest that is both widespread and established, while an Extreme classification indicates that such animals should not be allowed to enter, nor be kept in any state or territory without permission. Wild dogs are also identified as a pest animal under the Australian Pest Animal Strategy.
Greater level of detail can also be found in state and local wild dog management plans, which can be accessed at www.feral.org.au. The fact sheet can be downloaded from www.feral.org.au/wild-dog-policy-and-legislation
