Lane’s traps give wild dog controllers more bite
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Lane’s traps give wild dog controllers more bite

The Victorian Coalition Government is giving doggers a greater arsenal in the fight to control wild dogs by reintroducing Lane’s leg-hold traps that were banned by the previous Government in December 2008,” State Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, has stated.

“It is clear some local doggers prefer the Lane’s traps and they will now have them at their disposal again. They will be available for use locally in around four weeks’ time," Mr Bull said.

Mr Bull said this was the latest step in delivering a series of pre-election commitments relating to wild dog control, which included:

• Maintaining 72 hour trap checking for doggers (rather than move to 24 hour checking as was proposed by the previous government) to allow doggers more flexibility to go about their business.

• The introduction of aerial baiting, which will commence this autumn with 500 linear kilometres to be baited initially.

• The introduction of the wild dog bounty for the public, which has already produced 47 wild dog scalps, including 16 in East Gippsland.

• The restructure of the wild dog management group to give local communities more of a say in dog control.

• The establishment and growth of community baiting programs.

“Adding the re-introduction of the Lane’s traps is another positive step in battling the problem and I am pleased we are now very close to making all the changes we committed to pre-election. I am now looking forward to the introduction of the aerial baiting program,” Mr Bull said.

Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Peter Walsh, said the reintroduction of Lane’s leg-hold traps, coupled with the introduction of the wild dog bounty and an aerial baiting scheme to start next May, showed the Victorian Coalition Government was serious about controlling wild dogs.

“These measures show we are acting on landholders’ concerns about wild dogs, which went ignored for years under Labor,” Mr Walsh said.

“Some farmers have been so devastated by wild dog attacks they have left the farming industry entirely and this cannot continue. Wild dogs also change the natural environment by killing vulnerable native fauna like spotted quoll.”

Primary Industries Parliamentary Secretary Bill Sykes said Lane’s traps that are not used by DPI doggers would be modified to meet regulations and offered to landowners as part of an exchange program to remove old, rusty traps.

“The modified traps will feature pads to improve trap technology and animal welfare outcomes,” Dr Sykes said.