Most people are well aware of household pests such as termites, cockroaches, and spiders. However, if you live in rural areas, you will often be concerned about the most dangerous pests: feral animals. In Australia, the most common feral animals are pigs, cats, rabbits, deer and water buffaloes. These pests are known to damage farms, kill pets, spread illnesses and damage habitats. As such, it is wise to control their populations to avoid these devastating effects. The extract below explores a few ways to control feral animals.
Fencing Your Property
Fencing is probably the most straightforward method to protect your home from feral animals. The principle is that your preferred fence should prevent the animals from accessing the property. Therefore, the fence should not have any gaps that the animals could use. If you opt for a live or chain link, spread razor wire at the base of the fence to ensure the animals do not take advantage of gaps to access the property.
Poisoning
You must be cautious when poisoning feral animals. Ideally, the poison should not affect other wild or domesticated animals. For example, you could use sodium fluoroacetate (poison 1080). The secret to poisoning feral animals is conducting thorough assessments to establish their habitat, in such a way, you are certain that the animals will come across the poison.
Trapping And Shooting
You could also use traps to capture the feral animals. Trapping is appropriate when you intend to eat the animal or release it into the wild. For example, you could trap a feral pig and roast it for supper. Similar to poisons, you must be certain that the feral animal will come across the trap. The trap that you use should have enough power to contain the animal. Remember, once trapped, the animal will struggle to escape the trap. If you use low-quality traps, the animals are likely to damage them.
Besides trapping, you could also shoot the feral animals. As a rule, conduct due diligence to ensure that the state laws allow the shooting of feral animals. Shooting is quite effective when controlling large herds of feral animals.
Introducing Predators
Another way to control feral animals is by introducing their predators. For example, dingoes (Australian wild dogs) kill feral cats, dogs, and pigs. Besides, the presence of dingoes will suppress feral animals since these animals avoid the predator.
Control feral animals by fencing your property, poisoning, trapping, shooting and introducing predators. Contact a local pest control service to get more advice.