Crunch time for wild canines
The Gympie Council will spend $75,000 to employ a contractor to crack down on wild dogs.
Gympie Shire Deputy Mayor Tony Perrett says the ring-in will help local landowners get a leash on the problem, with reports the dogs are destroying livestock and having a devastating economic impact on farmers.
“We regularly lose calves, we see dog-bitten calves and they do have a significant impact and it amounts to many tens of thousands of dollars annually that are lost,” Perrett said, “so anything that we can do, and working in cooperation with the State Government to provide opportunities for landholders to be educated on best practice with respect of trapping dogs and dealing with the problem, then I think that's got to be advantageous.”
Other centres including the Sunshine Coast council have received the Queensland State Government funds to round up wild dogs. Pest control expert Henri Paul Blanco said the funds will be spent on new trapping equipment and training for landowners.
More information on Queensland’s wild dog control policy is available online.