CATTLE producer Tom Amey was eating breakfast when he spied a wild dog outside his property, so he decided to act.
The farmer fetched his shotgun and, still wearing his pyjamas, went outside and shot the dog dead.
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"That dog killed our little Jack Russell female in our house garden last year," Mr Amey told The Land.
Marauding dogs also mauled his tenant on his property, Mummulgum near Casino in northern NSW, as well as countless calves.
"They are everywhere," Mr Amey said. "We never have any twins [calf] on the property. The wild dogs will take the unattended one."
Wild dogs and other feral pests, such as rabbits and foxes, destroy up to $1 billion in agricultural produce annually, according to the latest statistics from the federal government. Not only do they prey on stock, but they also damage crops and compete for pasture.
Over the past four years, the federal government has invested more than $30 million to help eliminate these pests as well as invasive weeds; however, landholders such as Mr Amey are also responsible for keeping their properties pest and weed-free.
Baiting and pesticides are often used on large properties, although these aren't an option for people living on the fringes of town and hobby farmers.
A good way to safely trap pests such as foxes in semi-urban areas is to use traps, according to Richard Ali, senior biosecurity officer with the Local Land Services.
He said that foxes could be very cunning, so you'll have to disguise the traps. "Blend this into the environment as much as you can," Richard said.
"Cover the wire floor to make it easier for the fox to walk into the trap and cover the base of the trap, so it looks like an earth floor."
Once you've captured the animal, contact your nearest Local Land Services office, and experts will humanely dispose of the pest.
Weeds also have a devastating effect on the rural sector, with the federal government developing a National Weed Awareness Action Plan targeting weeds such as lantana, prickly acacia, serrated tussock and willows.
You can help stop the spread of these pests by choosing native species to plant over introduced flora.
