Feral animal shooting stopped for six weeks amid concern populations will soar

The shooting of feral animals has been suspended across all national parks in NSW for almost six weeks, amid concerns that months of heavy rain with limited animal control will cause their populations to soar.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service suspended the shooting of feral animals following an alleged incident in February this year that prompted debate on commercial radio.

There has been a suspension on the shooting of feral animals for the past weeks, concerning environmental groups and farmers.Credit: Justin McManus

Brett, who declined to give his surname, told 2GB host Ray Hadley in September that the agency conducted aerial shooting of deer on his property in the Kosciuszko National Park near where two guests were walking. The issue was fuelled when Hadley interviewed One Nation leader Mark Latham and NSW Environment Minister James Griffin about the matter.

That day, NPWS suspended the shooting of feral animals in national parks while undertaking a review that has taken almost six weeks to complete. The results of the review will be released shortly, a spokesperson for the agency said.

NSW Farmers conservation and resource management committee member Reg Kidd said wild dogs and pigs did enormous damage to land and animals every year.

“We were flabbergasted to learn the government had put a stop to controlling feral animals in national parks,” he said. “Feral animal control is something all land managers – public and private – must do. Putting a stop to feral animal control is irresponsible as it will impact the public, nature and private landowners such as farmers.”

“All this ban does is give them safe haven to breed. It’s crazy. If the government is smart, it will resume feral animal control immediately.”

The spokesperson for NPWS said feral animal shooting operations were expected to recommence within the week with stronger safety protocols.

“The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service does more aerial shooting than any other land manager and is leading the way in controlling feral animals across the state,” they said. “After an allegation in relation to an incident involving the aerial shooting of deer, a review is being conducted to ensure the NPWS feral animal control program is carried out with the highest safety standards.”

The NSW government’s control program also involves ground and aerial baiting and trapping. More than 70,000 pigs, goats, deer, foxes, cats and rabbits have been removed from the state’s national parks in the past two years.

Shooting feral animals is viewed as a crucial pest control measure, but has been hugely controversial for the government, with feral horse supporters opposing the measure in Kosciuszko National Park despite the damage caused.

Advocacy manager for the Invasive Species Council Jack Gough said the wet weather would cause an explosion of feral animal populations, which would wreak havoc on native wildlife and ecosystems without adequate action.

“This ban will also be alarming for farmers concerned about foot and mouth disease preparedness as feral pigs and deer will be major spreaders of the disease if it reaches our shores,” he said. “The NSW government has no excuse for the scale of this ban and the environment minister must overturn it and let National Parks staff continue to do their jobs safely, professionally and humanely.”

Earlier this year, the association’s members reported an increase in the number of wild dogs and pigs, while deer were expanding their territory. The federal government estimated that, in 2019 and 2020, there were 13.5 million feral pigs nationwide.

A spokesperson for Griffin said the control of feral animals was critically important for conservation efforts right across the state. The suspension only applied to feral animal shooting while other control methods were still being used, the spokesperson said.

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