Forests NSW wild dog trapper Mark Goldspink’s skills were featured in Albury at the first-ever Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre’s PestSmart roadshow.

The road show is criss‐crossing the country visiting 17 venues starting in Queanbeyan and ending in Townsville on 1 May. It made a stop at the Commercial Club last Friday 3 February.

As well as discussing wild dog management, the road show is updating farmers and other interested parties on research and management developments to control invasive animals such as wild dogs, rabbits, foxes, feral pigs and carp. 

Wild dogs can cruelly destroy livestock and are estimated to cost NSW about $16 million each year.

Mr Goldspink has worked as Forests NSW Feral Animal Control officer for the past eight years and to date has had no stock losses on farms bordering the State forests around Tumbarumba and Batlow.

Almost three years ago, he also started to patrol around Tallaganda State Forest near Braidwood and Badga State Forest near Cooma, and he has received no reports of stock losses in these additional areas.

Mr Goldspink said Forests NSW uses an integrated pest animal management program using baiting, trapping, monitoring and guard animals to keep on top of the wild dog problem.

He moves around the forests with five of his own dogs, tracing scents to track wild dogs, whose movements have often been reported by local farmers or log truck drivers.

Last year he caught 25 wild dogs in soft-jawed traps and another 20 or more were taken out with baits.

Mr Goldspink had a number of wild dog pelts on display at the road show as well at the soft-jawed wild dog traps used to reduce trauma.

“My display helped highlight the problems caused by wild dogs and prompted some interesting discussions on the day,” he said. 

For more information, see the website at www.feral.org.au/pestsmart/roadshow or contact Suzy Balogh on 0418 417 943, email: suzy.balogh@invasiveanimals.com

Photo available from sarahc@sf.nsw.gov.au

Media contact: Sarah Chester (02) 6036 2110 or 0417 207 669