News & Updates

Western Australia faces a growing threat from feral pigs, and a free upcoming workshop will help landholders rein in this destructive and expensive pest.  Feral pigs cost Australia more than $100 million a year in animal predation and environmental damage across all kinds of landscapes. The animals aren’t just a rural problem. Their rooting and wallowing erode soil, pollute waterways, and damage riverbanks. An opportunistic omnivore, feral pigs will also hunt, kill and eat small or vulnerable animals, which only compounds the threat they pose to pets, livestock and landscapes through disease.  Local not-for-profit Peel Harvey Biosecurity Group (PHBG) is urging private landholders to take part in coordinated control efforts to help curb the population. The group is inviting landholders to a free workshop on October 16 that will cover best-practice control techniques and practical, on-ground management. “Pigs can breed prolifically, meaning that ad hoc shooting as a control meth...

As the weather heats up, Peel Harvey Biosecurity Group (PHBG) is urging local landholders to take action against feral pigs. The group is hosting a workshop on this invasive pest to help locals better utilise trapping to control their numbers.  “Pigs have nearly the same reproductive capability as rabbits,” said PHBG Executive Officer Teele Hooper-Worrell. “It’s incredibly important that landholders facing a pig problem maintain their control efforts, especially now, as early summer is a critical time for managing their populations. Trapping is far more effective in reducing impact than ad hoc shooting and can be used to complement current feral pig control activities.” Pigs are true omnivores and feral animals and will even prey on livestock, particularly newborn lambs. They also eat crops and pasture and can damage large areas of productive crops very quickly. This voracious feeding not only results in direct losses for farmers but also leads to significant damage to native lands...