Feral goat eradication program continues on the Alps!

Monday 25 June, 2012

Parks Victoria has recently completed a program to eradicate the feral goat population at McKillops Bridge located in the Alpine National Park in Far East Gippsland.

The first of its kind, this project was based on expert recommendations regarding feral goat eradication in the Snowy River corridor, and so far has achieved outstanding results. 

The aim of the eradication exercise was to manage the feral goats population to zero density in the McKillops Bridge area. One of the initial recommendations was to use professional contract hunters to undertake the eradication program at McKillops Bridge so as to ensure a safe and efficient operation.

Program Manager- Environment, Land and Water Ms Yasmin Aly said the initial phase of the project involved rangers collaring two Judas goats in the area for satellite tracking purposes using ARGOS GPS collars.

“These Argos collars sent signals via satellite to allow for GPS location of the feral goats to be tracked over a long period, which assisted us in determining their home range.

“We also used remote cameras to monitor the feral goats and learn more about their movements”, she said.

This tracking and camera information provided excellent baseline data for the operation by BCL who were able to track down the known locations of the feral goats and set their plan accordingly.

“At the conclusion of the program, we were pleased with the tally of 23 feral goats,” Ms Aly said.

“This means all feral goats within the McKillops Bridge area have been destroyed, with one Judas goat remaining for further tracking purposes.”  

Pest animal control is fundamental for the ongoing protection and conservation of Victoria’s parks.

Parks Victoria also has a highly successful partnership with the Sporting Shooters Association, who help to manage populations of feral animals in parks across the state.

With the assistance of the Sporing Shooters Association over 3,500 goats have been removed from the Murray-Sunset National Park in the state’s west.