Feral goats culled
Sunraysia Daily, Page 12. Wednesday, 9 December 2009
More than 2000 feral goats have been culled at Murray Sunset National Park.
Since November 2003, the Nhill Branch of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia has been culling goats and other pest animals, notching up 6500 volunteer hours.
Parks Victoria Ranger Rob McGlashan said the goat problem was ongoing and a reasonable number still inhabited the park.
“There have been goats out there for a long time, it’s such a large area that they can breed up pretty fast, but the shooters are doing a good job of keeping numbers down,” Mr McGlashan said.
“You don’t generally find them in the river areas, they’re more out in the dryland areas of wilderness where it’s harder to get in and find them.
“They do damage the vegetation a lot.
“They’re pretty destructive and will trample down bushes so they can make a mess in a fairly short period of time.” Robert McNamara, senior ranger from Parks Victoria at Underbool said the shooters were making a fantastic contribution to the park.
“The work this group has been doing has really improved the native trees and shrubs,” Mr McNamara said.
“The native vegetation has now recovered and there is no browse line due to heavy grazing.
“We have also seen a reduction in off road driving by motor bikes going along tracks made by the feral goats as they walked along the dunes.
“This has made a real difference to the landscape. Native Orchids and rare plants have also benefited from reduced pressure with the culling of the feral goats.
“We consider (the volunteers) as working partners who are helping us preserve the beauty and diversity in Murray Sunset National Park and reserves.”
Volunteer groups work on a very wide range of projects with Parks Victoria: tree planting, revegetation, landscaping, campground hosting, cultural site protection and interpretation, flora and fauna monitoring, nursery maintenance and propagation, track clearing and construction and visitor information.
People can find out more about becoming a volunteer by calling the Parks Victoria Information Centre on 131 963.
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