Mackay council hires professional shooter to wipe out East Point fox population

Gunfire will soon be echoing from the scrub and dunes near East Point as council deploys a marksman to stop feral foxes preying on turtle nests and hatchlings.

The Mackay council is declaring open season on the European Red Foxes at East Point, bringing in a trained marksman to control the population.

Gunfire will soon be echoing from the scrub and dunes of East Point as council deploys a highly trained shooter and spotter to control an invasive population of European Red Foxes.

From January 21 - February 5 six controlled shooting operations have been scheduled and an exclusion zone will be put in place in order to prevent the problematic foxes from preying on turtle nests and hatchlings as well as populations of migratory bird species.

Humane traps have already been deployed in the dunes, with council warning dog owners of the danger.

The public is advised to avoid the exclusion zone during scheduled shootings.

Council has told the public to keep their animals on a leash at all times when walking in the area as fox traps will remain there until March.

Trapped dogs “may experience some discomfort”, a council statement noted.

Residents are also advised to follow the instructions of all signage at the site and avoid the exclusion zone during scheduled shootings.

Weather permitting, the shootings are scheduled to take place on:

• Tuesday, January 21, from 7pm to 5am the following day.
• Wednesday, January 22, from 7pm to 5am the following day.
• Tuesday, January 28, from 7pm to 5am the following day.
• Wednesday, January 29, from 7pm to 5am the following day.
• Tuesday, February 4, from 7pm to 5am the following day.Wednesday, February 5, 7pm to 5am the following day.