Getting word out on feral animal control
From the Spring/Summer 2009 edition of Bush Telegraph Magazine.
Forests NSW feral animal control ranger Bill Butcher, spends time making children aware of the problems of introduced species.
Forests NSW feral animal control ranger, Bill Butcher, based at Batemans Bay, has been visiting schools in the region to talk to students about feral animals.
I tell them about the country I cover, and how I go about getting rid of feral animals such as deer, pigs, dogs, fox, goats, rabbits - anything that is not native to Australia, he said.
I show them dog and rabbit traps, dog and fox skins, deer antlers, pigs tusks, dog skulls - all sorts of things related to my work.
I do that because if you take something they can get their hands on, they hang on every word, and you can definitely get their attention. They love it.
Bill talks to children from kindergarten to Year 12, a lot of whom have no concept of the damage some of the feral animals can do. Hes been doing the visits for more than six years.
They ask lots and lots of questions such as: Have I ever been charged by a pig?, Have I ever caught myself in a trap?, Have I ever been attacked by wild dogs? and What sort of a gun do I use when I shoot them?
Bill has been with Forests NSW for 20 years and has spent the past ten years trapping, shooting, snaring or poisoning feral animals.
All my life I have been hunting and shooting. And now Im being paid for doing what I used to do as a kid for fun, he said.
I love my job, and I love being able to make these kids aware of the problems introduced species can cause, if they are not controlled..
Sarah Chester Public Affairs & Media, Albury
