Declared animal pests

Declared animal pests

Introduced animal pests pose a major threat to agriculture, the environment and public safety in South Australia. This brochure explains landowner responsibilities and methods

for controlling some of our worst pest animals. It also identifies some Alert Pest animals – serious pests not currently present,

but which are at risk of establishing in South Australia.

Existing animal pests

Alert animal pests

Animal Pests of South AustraliaWhat you need to know

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Feral Camel Camelus dromedarius

Northern & western sandy deserts & adjacent pastoral stations.

Damages native vegetation, waters, fences & infrastructure.

Control by mustering or coordinated aerial shooting.

Red Fox Vulpes vulpes

Widespread across state; not Kangaroo Island.

Kills lambs, goat kids & poultry; serious wildlife predator.

Control by coordinated baiting, shooting & den fumigation.

Dingo/ Wild Dog Canis lupus dingo

& hybrids

Native animal north of Dog Fence; declared pest south of fence.

Serious threat to sheep industry. Illegal to keep as a pet.

Control by coordinated baiting, humane traps & shooting.

Feral Pig Sus scrofa

Murray, Cooper & Diamantina Rivers; western Kangaroo Island.

Damages livestock pasture, crops, native vegetation & wetlands.

Control by coordinated aerial & ground shooting, baiting & traps.

Feral Deer eg. Red Deer

Cervus elaphus

Six species in agricultural areas: Fallow Red Rusa Sambar Chital Hog.

Competes for livestock pasture; damages vegetation; traffic hazard.

Control by coordinated aerial & ground shooting.

Brown Hare Lepus capensis

Widespread in agricultural areas; not Kangaroo Island.

Damages crops, pasture & native vegetation.

Control by spotlight shooting; guard tree seedlings.

European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

Widespread across state; not Kangaroo Island.

Damages crops, pasture & native vegetation.

Control by coordinated baiting, warren ripping & fumigation.

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Rangelands south of Dog Fence & scrub in agricultural areas.

Competes for livestock pasture; damages native vegetation.

Control by coordinated mustering, trapping & shooting.

Feral Goat Capra hircus

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Common (Indian) Myna

Acridotheres tristis

Chocolate brown; white windows in wings; yellow bill & behind eye.

Walking gait; feeds on ground.

Noisy, backyard & biodiversity pest.

Spreading west across Victoria towards South-East & Riverland.

House Crow Corvus splendens

Differs from all black native crows by smaller size & greyish neck.

Occasionally enters Australia aboard ships.

Serious commensal pest.

Look out for at shipping ports.

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Pycnonotus jocosus

Small with erect black crest; white cheeks & throat.

Active & noisy. Nuisance pest of east coast

gardens & orchards.

Prohibited in SA.

Spice Finch (Nutmeg Mannikin)

Lonchura punctulata

Chocolate brown & white sparrow-sized finch.

Common cage bird in eastern states.

Competes with native birds.

Prohibited in SA.

Cane Toad Bufo marinus

Large & warty; sharp eyebrow ridge; poison glands behind eyes.

Occasional stowaways to SA via pot plants, furniture & produce.

Potential to invade SA via far north-east river systems.

Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans

Red behind eye; yellow stripes on head & legs; domed shell.

Escaped populations in interstate wetlands.

Competes with native tortoises.

Prohibited in SA.

Five-lined Palm Squirrel

Funambulus pennanti

Rat-sized squirrel with bushy banded tail & striped back.

Lives in trees; prefers palms & pines.

Nuisance backyard pest.

Prohibited in SA.

Long-tailed, green parrot; red bill; loud ‘kee-ak’ call.

Black & pink collar in males.

Common cage bird; occasional escapes occur.

Competes with native birds.

Indian Ringneck Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

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Impacts of Pest Animals Introduced animal pests cost South Australian agriculture millions of dollars in damage, lost production and control efforts. Rabbits damage sown crops and, with other introduced herbivores, compete with domestic livestock for pasture. Foxes and wild dogs prey on livestock causing severe losses especially to the sheep industry.

Animal pests also cause incalculable damage to the natural environment. Rabbits and other introduced herbivores over-graze and prevent regeneration of native plants threatening individual plant species and reducing pasture availability for native herbivores. Rabbits also support large populations of foxes and feral cats. Foxes have been implicated in the extinction of almost 30 native mammals from mainland South Australia and continue to threaten many more.

Introduced pests cause a range of other problems. Deer and other large herbivores are a road hazard. Rabbits and hares damage revegetation and amenity plantings and foxes chew holes in irrigation pipes. As well, introduced pests can act as reservoirs for serious exotic diseases including Foot and Mouth Disease and Rabies that might enter Australia. Dealing with wild pest animal populations increases the complexity and cost of eradicating exotic diseases.

Effective control of pest animals by all landowners is the key to reducing their impacts.

Contact your regional Natural Resources Management (NRM) board office for further advice on pest animals and their control.

Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges NRM Boardwww.amlrnrm.sa.gov.auEmail: reception@adelaide.nrm.sa.gov.auAdelaide (head office) 8273 9100Gawler 8523 7700Lobethal 8389 5900Willunga 8550 3400

Alinytjara Wilurara NRM Boardwww.awnrm.sa.gov.auEmail: aoc@aboriginalnrm.com.auAdelaide (head office) 8357 3880Ceduna 8625 3706

Eyre Peninsula NRM Boardwww.epnrm.sa.gov.auEmail: admin@epnrm.com.auPort Lincoln (head office) 8682 7555Tumby Bay 8688 2610Elliston 8687 9330Streaky Bay 8626 1108Ceduna 8625 3060Wudinna 8680 2653Cleve 8628 2077Whyalla 8640 3480

Kangaroo Island NRM Boardwww.kinrm.sa.gov.auEmail: info@kinrm.com.auKingscote (head office) 8553 4300

Northern & Yorke NRM Boardwww.nynrm.sa.gov.auEmail: board@nynrm.sa.gov.au

Declared pest animals

Contact your NRM board for help

Declared pests State Alert pest animals

Potential new pests

Contact your NRM board for help

State Alerts are potential new pests. They are not present in the wild in SA, but pose a high risk of establishing with serious consequences for agriculture, the environment and public safety.

These include major international pest species such as the Common (or Indian) Myna and Cane Toad which have wild populations interstate and occasionally turn up in South Australia and the House Crow which does not occur in Australia but sometimes arrives here aboard visiting ships.

It is important that landowners are familiar with State Alert pest animals to enable timely eradication of any outbreaks before they spread. Report all suspected State Alert pest animals to your regional NRM board.

Many exotic animals pose a high risk of becoming new pests in Australia. Without controls over their keeping and importation, some would inevitably escape due to poor security or accidental or deliberate release and establish new populations.

Animals such as lagomorphs (e.g. North American cotton-tail rabbits), rodents (e.g. hamsters), mustelids (e.g. stoats and weasels) and most exotic reptiles and amphibians are considered to pose such a serious threat that they are prohibited from being imported into Australia for the pet trade.

The entry, movement, keeping, sale and wilful or negligent release of high risk exotic declared pest animals without a permit is illegal. Severe penalties apply for some offences under the NRM Act.

In general, purposes for which permits may be granted for high risk species include research and development, conservation in accordance with national plans, and public education. These species can only be kept in high security zoos and research facilities which meet strict criteria.

Crystal Brook (head office) 8636 2361Riverton 8847 2544Minlaton 8853 2795Orroroo 8658 1086

South Australian Arid Lands NRM Boardwww.saalnrm.sa.gov.auEmail: aridlands@saalnrm.sa.gov.auPort Augusta (head office) 8648 5977

South Australian Murray-Darling BasinNRM Boardwww.samdbnrm.sa.gov.auEmail: enquiries@samdbnrm.sa.gov.auMurray Bridge (head office) 8532 1432Berri 8582 4477Burra 8892 3033Lameroo 8576 3400Mt Barker 8391 7500

South East NRM Boardwww.senrm.sa.gov.auEmail: reception@senrm.sa.gov.auMt Gambier (head office) 8724 6000

Information on animal pests can also be obtained from:Biosecurity SAwww.pir.sa.gov.au/biosecuritysa/nrm_biosecurityEmail: nrmbiosecurity@sa.gov.auAdelaide 8303 9620

Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges

Alinytjara Wilurara

Eyre Peninsula

Kangaroo Island

Northern & Yorke

South Australian Arid Lands

South Australian Murray-Darling Basin

South East

South Australia’s NRM boards

All landowners in South Australia have a legal responsibility to manage pest animals declared under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004. Declaration places restrictions on the movement, keeping, sale and release of some animals. It may also require landowners to control or destroy declared pests on their property or to notify authorities about their presence.

Landowners are required to be aware of declared pest species on their properties and take appropriate measures to control them. A property management plan incorporating a pest animal control calendar is a good way to meet your responsibilities. For example, the best time to control rabbits by baiting is in late summer and early autumn when their numbers are least, breeding has ceased, food is declining and the rabbits are hungry. This is followed by ripping all warrens then fumigating any burrows that re-open.

Contact an Authorised Officer at your regional NRM board to assist you with developing a property management plan to manage the pests on your property.

It is important that landowners be aware of their responsibilities regarding pest species that occur on their land. The following notes outline the legal requirements for managing eight of South Australia’s most serious declared pest animals (high-lighted in blue overleaf). In addition to the following restrictions, no declared animal may be wilfully released from captivity.

Red Fox – must not be moved, kept or sold across whole of state. Landowners required to control. Notify NRM board & destroy on offshore islands.

Dingo & dingo crosses – must not be moved, kept or sold south of the Dog Fence. Landowners are required to destroy south of Dog Fence.

European Rabbit – wild rabbits must not be moved, kept or sold. Landowners required to control.* Notify NRM board & destroy on offshore islands (excluding Wardang Island). Domestic rabbits must not be moved, kept or sold on Kangaroo Island.

Brown Hare – must not be moved, kept or sold on offshore islands. Notify NRM board & destroy on all offshore islands.

Feral Camel – must not be released from captivity.

Feral Deer – take prescribed measures to control. Notify NRM board & destroy on offshore islands. Must not be moved, kept or sold on offshore islands without a permit.

Feral Goat – take prescribed measures to control. Must not be moved, kept or sold on offshore islands without a permit.

Feral Pig – must not be released from captivity.

* Contact NRM board regarding control of rabbits on adjoining roadsides.

This pamphlet is intended as a guide to pest animal regulations in South Australia under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004. It does not replace the Act and should not be relied upon as a legal document. Declarations and regulations change from time to time.

Image by Peter Bird

Photo credits key: 1, 6 Daryl Panther2, 15 Peter Bird3 Scott Jennings4 Philip Stott5 Rob Sleep7 Robert Henzell8 Invasive Animals CRC

9 Toby Roscoe, Australian National University Myna Project 10 Jay Yeung 11 J. M. Garg 12 Petri Pietilainen 13 Cyril Laubscher 14 D. Gordon E. Robertson 16 WA Dept. Agriculture & Food