Feral animal management

There is more to feral and pest animal control than just simply a gun and a spotlight. As wildlife researchers and scientists, Terrestrial Ecosystems has an applied management approach based on robust science when completing feral and pest animal management. We use the best available science combined with regular training and accreditation, to ensure that we are aware of the approach most appropriate to your specific circumstances. With clients in the private sector, mining operations, local and state government, and NRM and wildlife management industries, we have developed practical solutions for varied situations and scale projects.

Terrestrial Ecosystems is a registered Pest Management Business and all operational staff are registered Pest Management Technicians and have a Certificate III (Vertebrate Pest Management). Staff have also undertaken additional training in the use of firearms in the workplace, chemical capture of wild animals, bird management and fumigation. We particularly focus on vertebrate pest species in urban and peri-urban areas but can also work across other Western Australian locations.

Terrestrial Ecosystems staff have experience in the following programs:

• fox control and management
• unowned and feral cat management
• corella management
• pigeon management
• wild dog management
• feral fish management

Terrestrial Ecosystems owns the necessary equipment for feral and pest species management including but not limited to, firearms, a range of trap types, 4WDs, trailers, ATVs, night vision and thermal detection equipment. Terrestrial Ecosystems are primarily wildlife ecologists, so we take a wholistic approach to feral and pest management.

Being discrete and safe are two key factors when undertaking feral and pest management. Dr Scott Thompson has completed Certificate IV (Work Health and Safety), so he is able to provide oversight and advice to other staff in the preparation of health and safety plans and procedures.

Good outcomes are based on good science. In addition to our staff keeping abreast of recently published literature, Terrestrial Ecosystems contribute to the literature and the improvement of feral and pest species management practices. The Principal Zoologists published the results of a control and monitoring program that assessed the value of camera traps as a tool for monitoring the effectiveness of 1080 bait deployment of foxes and feral cats (Thompson et al. 2019). These same staff are currently involved in a fox research program commissioned by South West Corridor Development Foundation Inc that aims to:

• use state-of-the-art GPS tracking devices to map fine-scale spatial movement of urban foxes;
• use these data to model the preferred movement patterns and micro-habitat utilisation of foxes and the locations of den sites, and
• summarise this information to inform the future trapping programs for the seven participating WA Councils (i.e. Cities of Canning, Cockburn, Fremantle, Kwinana, Melville and Rockingham and the Town of East Fremantle).

Reference:
Thompson, G. G., S. A. Thompson, and A. Bengsen. 2019. The value of camera traps in monitoring a feral-cat and fox reduction program. Wildlife Research 46:599-609