Nearly 7000 fox scalps collected by Primary Industries Department as farmers shoot for bounty

It’s lambing season, which means foxes are on the prowl – but the pests risk coming across farmers taking advantage of a bounty per scalp.

Nearly 7000 fox scalps have been collected by the Primary Industries Department and hundreds more are expected to be handed in as farmers take advantage of a bounty.

The $10 bounty for each scalp is an incentive for primary producers to control numbers of the pest animals on their land, in addition to baiting programs.

Limestone Coast farmers have claimed almost 5000 scalps, or about 70 per cent of the total collected, as foxes prey on the state’s highest density of lambing ewes.

The department’s biosecurity operations co-ordinator pest animals, Annette Scanlon, said 6940 scalps had been collected since the program began in August last year.

“In the last three months they have come in steadily with 743 collected and I’m expecting similar numbers this October,” Ms Scanlon said.

“This is when lambs are on the ground and it’s the foxes’ breeding time, so it’s a good time to get on top of them.”

Foxes are earning hunters $10 per scalp under the state government bounty scheme.

Ms Scanlon said foxes must be humanely killed on a farmer’s property, which must have a property identification code, and scalped correctly for hunters to pocket $10 per scalp.

“They’re a persistent and perennial problem for livestock producers and a lot of places do baiting, which is the most effective means for controlling foxes, this is an extra component on top of existing programs,” she said.

The program is funded by $220,000 of drought funding, which Ms Scanlon said was expected to be exhausted by October next year.

Livestock SA president Joe Keynes said the bounty program was an important part of an overall pest management strategy used by farmers.

Livestock SA president Joe Keynes. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“Foxes do considerable damage if they’re not controlled … they create lower percentages in lambing ewes and they also prey on native animals,” Mr Keynes said.

“The number one tool should be an effective baiting program and followed up with shooting, so to get the extra income from the bounty is useful.

“If it has 12 months to run we would seek feedback from our members to gather the detail on whether we lobby the government to continue the program.”

Fox bounty collection days will be held on October 20 and 21 at various locations across the state. Details: pir.sa.gov.au/fox-bounty