Page 4 - Australian Pork Newspaper

One of the most important factors in successful trapping is the selection of a suitable trapping site. Photo: Daniel Lewer of Hunter Land Management
Monitor and replenish these sites for several days to get pigs used to the bait material and to optimise the number of
If you have decided to have multiple sites, keep monitoring feed at the other sites during this time.
forgiving.
It is critical to remember
Trapping standards for feral pigs
* from P2
oats, lupins, sorghum and chickpeas or even pel- lets – particularly if weed seeds are of concern – are used.
animals coming to the bait site.
credited firearm operator who is experienced with humane destruction of animals
Poor quality free feed may limit the numbers of pigs attracted to the site.
The free feeding period may go on for a while as it will be dependent on the availability of the pig’s current diet.
• The shooter must not shoot through the trap
Pigs will be more at- tracted to bait that has a strong odour.
It’s important that there is adequate feed available per pig.
• No other person should approach trapped pigs until shooting is completed
The use of meat or meat products as bait material is illegal.
An oversupply of grain will attract birds during the day and can also in- crease risks of non-target species being caught in the trap.
• Operators should take necessary precautions when removing pig car- casses from the trap to reduce risks of disease.
Deposit small amounts of bait material around the site – along roads, tracks and animal pads.
Once bait is being con- tinually eaten by pigs at a site, place the trap there.
So, what can go wrong? A great deal!
Pigs are smart and un-
In some areas, fruit or vegetables may be more preferable.
• The shooter must be patient and wait until the pig is motionless before shooting
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If you only have one trap, it may be that the trap can be moved to an- other of these sites once all pigs are removed from the first site.
that if the whole group of pigs is not caught – par- ticularly the older pigs – they have been educated about the trap and will now be trap-shy.
Bring the trap materials to the selected site and leave them there for ani- mals to become accus- tomed to its smell.
This will make them extremely difficult to trap later.
If pigs continue to come to the site to consume free feed, partially erect the trap – leaving a wide entrance way – and place feed inside and outside the trap.
• Land manager inexpe- rience
Once pigs are confi- dently entering and ex- iting the trap, finish con- structing the trap leaving the gate open and place the free feed at the rear of the trap.
enter the trap • Not free
Ensure the trap is con- structed to minimise in- juries to pigs including from sharp edges, mal- functioning gates or loose wire.
before the entire group has entered the trap to pre-feed
Automatic deer feeders can be used to provide free feed to reduce the need for daily site visits.
• Coordinated control over large areas by get- ting all land managers to work together
The trap’s door can be set after a few more days of feeding within the trap.
• Apply an integrated management approach – in areas that can be accessed by a vehicle, use low impact control first such as baiting or trapping to minimise spreading of pigs across the area, and move to other methods such as aerial shooting for less accessible areas to try to mop up as many pigs as possible
It’s recommended that pigs free feed in- side the trap for at least three nights to ensure the whole group is captured.
Large amounts of bait – 10-20kg – will be re- quired each time the trap is set.
• Utilise seasonal con- ditions – when it is dry, apply a good plan and aim for 100 percent removal
Set traps must be in- spected each morning.
As detailed in the trap- ping of feral pigs standard operating procedures:
• Monitor before and after control efforts are undertaken and act early.
• Captured pigs should be quietly and calmly ap- proached by the shooter to reduce panic, further stress and risk of injury
Feel free to contact me on heather.channon@ feralpigs.com.au or call 0423 056 045 to discuss your feral pig manage- ment issues or any infor- mation presented in this article.
Issues that can affect the success of trapping include:
• Unsuitable trap place- ment
• Not enough traps used or traps are set too far apart
• Not using enough free feed to entice all pigs to
feeding for long enough before set-
ting the trap
• Setting the trap door
• The trap door trig- gering mechanism is set incorrectly
A good sign that pigs are comfortable with the trap and your presence is when they visibly wait in the area for you to come and provide their free feed!
• The trap was too small to fit the whole pig group • High availability of
All traps must be in- spected daily.
• Using this method to control large population sizes.
Cameras can be used to assist with this and may be a good investment to assist with daily checking and trap inspection.
To reiterate from earlier articles, the key ingre- dients for successful pig control are:
their current diet
• Interference from
other people and the presence of dogs
Page 4 – Australian Pork Newspaper, March 2022
• Trapped pigs must be humanely destroyed as quickly as possible by a skilled, licenced and ac-
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