Southern Ark - Q and A’s:
Southern Ark home
- About the program
- Benefits
- Program Management
- Non-Target Species Issues
- Other Issues
- More Information
About the program:
What is the Southern Ark program?
Southern Ark is a conservation initiative aimed at facilitating the recovery of native mammals, birds and reptiles across approximately one million hectares of public land in Far East Gippsland through the establishment of an integrated, large-scale and on-going fox control program.
The primary objective of Southern Ark is to help recover and restore the native wildlife of East Gippsland by creating extensive tracts of habitat in which populations of introduced Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are substantially reduced. (Refer to map in The Ark, Issue No. 3 June 2007.)
The Southern Ark program is the first major attempt to control foxes across a large area in eastern Australia for the purposes of conservation. Itl involves the establishment and maintenance of bait stations at regular intervals alongside vehicle tracks running throughout public land (State Forest and National Park) in Far East Gippsland, east of the Snowy River and south of the New South Wales state border.
Why is the project called ‘Southern Ark’?
The name Southern Ark was chosen because the program will take place in the Southern corner of Australia and because it will create a refuge for wildlife, a bit like Noah’s Ark.
How large is the area that will be baited for foxes for the Southern Ark project?
Approximately one million hectares of forested land in Far East Gippsland, east of the Snowy River and bordered by the coast and the NSW / VIC border is being baited for the Southern Ark project.
How long has the project been running for?
The Southern Ark program commenced in November 2003. The infrastructure of the project was established during phase one. Phase two of the project is commencing early 2008, and will see the ongoing baiting campaign fully established across Southern Ark's entire area of operation. Subject to funding, the Southern Ark project will continue indefinately.
Wasn't baiting for foxes already occurring in East Gippsland?
Yes, ad hoc fox control activities occurred in East Gippsland predominantly on the private land / public interface and related to specific threatened species programs. Project Deliverance was the precursor to Southern Ark and established successful fox control over an area in excess of 40,000 hectares. The Southern Ark project will ensure that fox control activities occur continuously across the East Gippsland landscape.
Benefits:
What species will recover once foxes are controlled?
(Refer Fact Sheet on “Species in Far East Gippsland”).
There are a large number of native species that are likely to benefit as a result of fox control across large areas of forest.
Mammal species include all those “rat-sized” to “small wallaby-sized” species that spend all or some of their time on or close to the forest floor. In East Gippsland this includes two species of potoroo, two species of bandicoot, ringtail possum, two species of brushtail possum (Common and Mountain) and a species of rock-wallaby.
Some of the larger species of wallabies and kangaroos may also increase in number, as foxes are known to prey on their young. Ground-dwelling and ground-nesting birds will also benefit. This includes a wide range of birds, from the endangered Little Tern, Fairy Tern and Hooded Plover, to the Emu, a large but flightless species whose young often fall prey to foxes.
Even native predators will benefit from the eradication of foxes. Some predators (eg the three species of large forest owls) will benefit from the direct reduction in the level of competition for food. Other predators, such as Spotted-tailed Quolls, goanna’s and Diamond Pythons compete for food with foxes, but probably also fall prey to foxes.
Are foxes really a problem for native wildlife?
Yes. The Red Fox is not a native animal, having been introduced into mainland Australia in the 1870’s to continue the English tradition of foxhunting. Foxes have spread across the southern two thirds of Australia and have been implicated in the decline and extinction of a wide range of ground-dwelling mammals and birds.
Native species did not evolve to cope with this adaptable and efficient hunter and with little competition from native predators, foxes were able to increase at an alarming rate. Foxes are also a significant threat to domestic stock, especially lambs and poultry. They also contribute to the spread of noxious weeds such as blackberries and to diseases such as sarcoptic mange.
Does it really matter if foxes prey on native wildlife?
(Refer Fact Sheet on “Biodiversity Benefits”)
Yes. Native mammals living in our forests and woodlands are part of our heritage and it our responsibility to ensure that they belong to the living heritage of our descendants. They also play a number of important roles in a wide range of ecological processes contributing to the health of our forests.
Potoroos and bandicoots, for example, are involved in the dispersal of the spores of particular types of fungi that grow on the roots of trees and shrubs. These fungi assist the plants in the uptake of vital nutrients. Unlike fungi that spread their spores from mushrooms, these fungi produce spore bodies underground that can only be dispersed by mammals such as potoroos. In the process of foraging for these sporocarps (spore bodies) these mammals are also involved in soil aeration and the breakdown of the leaf litter.
Mammals are also involved in pollination, seed dispersal, the consumption of insects, and the reduction of vegetation in the understorey. Many of these processes have been affected since foxes have arrived and caused the collapse of the medium-sized mammal fauna. This may be leading to a decline in the overall health of the forest.
The decline of native species continues. Only by significantly reducing fox numbers across large areas of land will populations of native species recover.
Don’t foxes mainly eat rabbits?
In agricultural settings foxes mainly eat rabbits, insects and house mice. In forested areas, where rabbits are relatively rare, foxes tend to prey on native mammals, mainly possums, potoroos and bandicoots, as well native rats, reptiles and birds.
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Program Management:
Who is responsible for management of the Southern Ark project?
Southern Ark is a collaborative project involving a partnership approach from a number of government agencies (Department of Sustainability and Environment, Department of Primary Industries, Parks Victoria and academic institutes) working closely with the East Gippsland community.
Why was the Far East Gippsland area chosen for the Southern Ark program?
Far East Gippsland is the most suitable part of Victoria to initiate a large-scale fox control program. It supports a wide range of rare and threatened fauna, as well as many species that are not considered endangered but which will also benefit from the reduction in fox predation.
The region also possesses a well-maintained network of all-weather vehicle tracks, an important asset that will greatly assist in the establishment and maintenance of a successful baiting program.
The relatively small area of freehold land concentrated in discrete areas is also an important factor, as it will allow the uninterrupted implementation of the program. The large and significant series of parks and reserves that support a range of fauna at risk from fox predation also supports the case to initiate such a program in Far East Gippsland.
What baits and poison will be used to kill foxes?
Baiting across the majority of the area will be carried out using buried Foxoff baits, each of which contains 3mg of compound 1080 (pronounced “ten-eighty”).
In small areas adjacent to freehold land that have traditionally had problems with wild dogs, cooked meat baits containing 4.5mg of 1080 will be used.
1080 (otherwise known as sodium fluoroacetate), is a white powdery crystalline salt that is virtually tasteless and odourless to humans and highly soluble in water.
How does the 1080 poison kill the foxes? Is it humane?
The question of whether 1080 is humane is not readily resolved due to the mode of action of the compound. Analogies have been drawn between the convulsions associated with 1080 toxicosis in foxes and epileptic seizures in humans – a condition not associated with conscious perception of pain.
In terms of how the 1080 works, the fluoroacetate in 1080 is converted to fluorocitrate, which blocks the process that provides energy to the cells, which is known as the Krebs cycle. Energy reserves within the cells are depleted, and cellular function is impaired. In carnivores like the fox, the end result is the collapse of the central nervous system and death.
How long does it take for a fox to die once bait has been consumed?
As it takes a period of time before the fluorocitrate is converted from fluoroacetate, it may be three to five hours before symptoms of poisoning start to occur. Following the onset of the symptoms of poisoning, it usually takes one to two hours for the fox to die.
How was the appropriate poison chosen for the Southern Ark project?
1080 is an efficient, economic and environmentally safe poison. It has been used for more than 50 years to control rabbits, foxes, wild dogs and feral pigs. No human fatalities or near fatalities have been reported in this time. Strict procedures govern its availability and use in Australia.
How is 1080 listed on the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule?
1080 is a registered agricultural chemical and is classified as a ‘Schedule 7 poison’ on the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule. Poison scheduling is a means of classifying poisons to identify the degree of control to exercise over their availability to the public. Schedule 7 agricultural chemicals must carry labels displaying the signal heading “Dangerous Poison – keep out of reach of children – read safety instructions before opening”.
How close will baits be laid to my farm or property?
There are clear guidelines issued by the Department of Primary Industries as to how close baits can be placed to property boundaries, buildings and waterways. These are detailed in the Landcare Notes series, in particular Landcare Notes PA0011 “Wild dogs and foxes: use of 1080 poison baits”, PA0012 “Foxes: integrated fox control”, PA0058 “Directions for the use of Foxoff baits in Victoria”, and PA0065 “Directions for the use of 1080 Fox Baits for fox control in Victoria”.
In all instances where baiting as part of the Southern Ark program is taking place close to private land, bait stations will be established at distances in excess of those stipulated in the above Landcare Notes.
Who does the baiting?
Suitably accredited officers of the Department of Sustainability and Environment will carry out all baiting during the early stages of the project. Suitably trained and accredited volunteers may be able to undertake some of the baiting in the future, especially as part of co-operative programs on private land.
How and where are the poison baits laid?
Foxoff baits are buried to a depth of 10-15cm in specially constructed bait stations. The bait stations are established at one-kilometre intervals alongside vehicle tracks running through the forest.
As much of the track network is used as possible to ensure that the greatest number of foxes are destroyed across the largest possible area.
No bait stations are established within 200m of any known or recognised campsite. There are no baits placed anywhere along the Princes Highway, or on any bush tracks running off the highway for a distance of 100 metres. Signs are placed on all major tracks running off sealed roads to warn the public that baiting is taking place.
How often does baiting take place?
Baiting takes place continuously throughout the year across the entire region. Initially, large areas of forest (approximately 100,000 hectares) are baited with unpoisoned baits, in order to encourage foxes to visit the stations and to check that no non-target animals are removing baits.
Following this “free-feeding” campaign, poison baits are placed and checked regularly. Once the level of bait-take declines to almost zero (ie the resident foxes have all been poisoned), the bait stations arel then rebaited on a six-week rotation. Research in East Gippsland has demonstrated that baiting at this intensity is sufficient to ensure that fox numbers are kept to very low levels.
Why is it necessary to maintain the baiting program?
Foxes are highly mobile animals, and throughout a large part of the year juvenile foxes are dispersing in their search for a home range. It is for this reason that baiting must take place throughout the year, in order to ensure that foxes that are dispersing into the forests of Far East Gippsland are destroyed as quickly as possible.
How will we know if Southern Ark is successful?
The staff of the Southern Ark program will be carrying out a number of monitoring programs that will assess two major aspects of the project. These are (a) the effectiveness of the baiting program, and (b) the response of the native fauna to the eradication of the fox.
The success of the fox control program will be determined by using a number of techniques. Firstly, the level of bait take from the bait stations established throughout Far East Gippsland will be monitored and it is expected that as foxes decline fewer and fewer baits will be taken. Similarly, the numbers of fox scats (droppings) along selected tracks will be counted at regular intervals throughout the year. As the population of foxes declines, so should the number of scats collected on these transects.
Finally, certain areas will be selected and a number of sand pads constructed across roads at one-kilometre intervals. The presence of fox prints on these sand pads will be monitored prior to and during the commencement of the control program.
The recovery of the native fauna will be monitored at a number of sites throughout the control area. A variety of methods will be used. A cage-trapping program that has been ongoing for five years, in which native mammals have been trapped, microchipped and released, will be maintained.
Networks of hairtubes (a tunnel shaped device, into which animals are lured by food; and then rub against sticky tape in the tube and leave some hair) will be established in certain areas and the frequency of visits will be monitored.
Hair from the hairtube is then examined under a microscope and the species determined. Potoroos and bandicoots leave distinctive cone-shaped digs in their search for underground fungi and insects. Surveys will be carried out in which the number of digs are counted along permanent transects and compared to the number of digs counted in the same area during future surveys. Spotlighting surveys will also be carried out.
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Non-Target Species Issues:
Does the poisoning program pose a risk to native animals?
The poison baits are buried at a 10cm depth within specially constructed bait stations. This method of bait placement specifically targets foxes, as they readily dig up and consume buried food items.
The burial and retrieval of food is a key aspect of the way foxes hunt (foraging ecology), and is known as caching. Foxes encountering a bait station view the buried bait as a cached food item, and will willingly excavate and consume the discovered food.
The majority of native animals do not cache food, and very few are particularly inclined to excavate and consume the baits used. It has been the experience to date in East Gippsland that when the foxes have been eliminated from an area the bait stations lie undisturbed.
Does the poisoning program pose a risk to the Spot-tailed Quoll?
The Spot-tailed Quoll is a carnivorous marsupial confined to forested areas and is endangered in Victoria.
Foxes and quolls prey on the same types of animals. Quolls are likely to benefit due to the reduced level of competition for food. Other research has demonstrated that quolls, like wild dogs, are not particularly attracted to Foxoff baits, especially when they are buried deeply within bait stations.
Is Southern Ark looking to control dingoes and wild dogs as well?
Dingoes and wild dogs will only be controlled in specific areas close to farmland that have a history of dog attacks on livestock. These areas have been defined following discussions with regional staff of the Department of Primary Industries. In these areas cooked meat baits will be used. Such baits are attractive to both dogs and foxes.
Will the Southern Ark program impact on the native dingo population?
Across the majority of the forest in Far East Gippsland, the program will target foxes.
This will be achieved by using Foxoff baits in the bait stations. The experience in Far East Gippsland has been that dingoes show very little interest in the Foxoff baits used to poison foxes. This experience is mirrored in other parts of Australia, where dingoes have been found to prefer fresh meat bait over manufactured baits.
The reluctance of dingoes to consume Foxoff baits used in the Southern Ark program is regarded as a bonus, reinforcing the high level of target specificity of the program. Dingoes have been present in Australia for several thousand years and the native wildlife has adapted to their presence.
Dingoes mainly hunt larger prey, such as wallabies, kangaroos and wombats, and are not seen as a risk to smaller mammals such as potoroos, bandicoots and possums. They may also be helping to slow down the expansion of feral pigs into East Gippsland. As the top predator, dingoes therefore help keep a check on the population size of these larger herbivores.
There are many examples of how kangaroo and wallaby numbers explode when they have no native predators, often to the detriment of the vegetation.
How can I protect my pets? Should they be leashed?
The best way to ensure that your pets are protected is to ensure that they do not wander in the forest unrestrained or on their own. It is extremely unlikely that a domestic dog will be attracted to a bait station, let alone excavate and consume the bait. Snakebite and paralysis tick bites are much more serious threats to domestic dogs wandering in the forest, and provide good reasons to keep your dog leashed.
A brochure is available on looking after your dog in the East Gippsland bush below:
Looking after your dog in the East Gippsland bush (PDF - 206 Kb)I think my dog has been poisoned – what should I do?
If you believe your dog has eaten a bait deployed as part of the Southern Ark project, you should immediately seek veterinary assistance, which is available in Orbost (03 51 542387).
The vets at this clinic are fully aware of the program, and will (a) evaluate and treat the symptoms displayed by your dog, (b) advise you on the options available to you, and (c) advise the Program Manager if it appears that the dog may have consumed a bait. The Program Manager will discuss with you where your dog may have encountered the bait and will visit and assess the status of all bait stations.
It must be stressed that it is extremely unlikely that domestic dogs will excavate and consume the bait.
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Other Issues:
Is the use of 1080 RSPCA approved?
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Australia) recognise the need for control of vermin but are opposed to baits that are non-specific. The Southern Ark program method of baiting is very target-specific for foxes.
Can we eradicate foxes?
It will be impossible to eradicate foxes from Australia using the currently available techniques.
Efforts are being made to develop immunocontraceptive methods to control for foxes, but it may still take many years of research to develop this technology. Research carried out in East Gippsland over the last five years has demonstrated that fox numbers can be significantly reduced in forested areas using the current baiting techniques if two conditions are met.
Firstly, it is preferable to control foxes over large areas, as this is a mobile species that will quickly reoccupy areas that have been cleared of foxes. Secondly, it is important to ensure that fox control takes place continuously. This means ensuring that foxes have an opportunity to encounter baits on a regular basis and that any foxes moving into the region quickly find a bait and die before they become established.
How do I know if baiting is occurring in my area?
Rural landholders are advised about the project via direct mail. The program is also regularly advertised in the local newspaper (the Snowy River Mail). In addition, on tracks close to private property, as well as those leading from major roads, warning signs are erected to advise people that baiting is occurring.
Will it help if I lay baits on my property as well?
Baiting programs undertaken on private land will greatly assist in reducing the areas in which populations of foxes can find refuge. It is unlikely that in the longer term the relatively small areas of private land in East Gippsland will be able to support populations of foxes, however the eradication of this species from the region will take several years.
Landholders should contact their Landcare coordinator or the Catchment Management Officer in Orbost if they wish to undertake a baiting program.
Will fewer foxes lead to an increase in other pests such as rabbits?
Rabbits prefer fairly open country, and the abundance of forest cover in Far East Gippsland ensures that rabbits are not very common. They are therefore unlikely to become more common in most of East Gippsland once fox numbers are reduced.
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More Information:
Where can I get more information about foxes?
More information about foxes can be obtained from the DSE website or the Environment Australia website (www.ea.gov.au).
Can I become involved in the Southern Ark program?
For local residents and interested visitors opportunities will be available to get involved in the Southern Ark program. These opportunities will range from assisting in spotlight surveys for nocturnal mammals and hairtubing for potoroos to assessing the effectiveness of the fox control program. As the project develops, the possibilities for involvement from the general public will be well advertised.
In the first instance only Southern Ark staff will be involved in fox baiting activities. There may be opportunities for suitably qualified and accredited people to assist with some of the fox baiting activities in the future.
What is “Friends of Southern Ark” and how can I become a member?
A Friends group of interested people will be established for the Southern Ark project. Volunteers will be asked to assist with tasks such as the field monitoring for evidence of wildlife and foxes, laying baits (if trained) and contributing to the newsletter ‘The Ark’. If you are interested in being a part of this group, please register your interest by emailing: southern.ark@dse.vic.gov.au or by phoning the Project Manager on (03) 5161 1222.
Where can I get more information about Southern Ark?
More information about the Southern Ark program can be obtained from the Project Manager on (03) 5161 1222, via email southern.ark@dse.vic.gov.au.
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