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Invasive Species Council welcomes winter fire ant treatment push

The Invasive Species Council has welcomed the Queensland government’s announcement that fire ant treatment will now occur year-round, describing it as a smart, science-backed move that could significantly boost the effectiveness of the national eradication effort.

The announcement follows a new detection of fire ants in Tweed Heads, New South Wales this week and an interception in Perth, Western Australia last week.

‘Back in May we called for a well-resourced winter blitz to uncover hidden nests before fire ants begin to fly, spread and multiply in the warmer months. It’s encouraging to see the Crisafulli Government has heard these calls,’ Invasive Species Council Advocacy Manager Reece Pianta said.

‘Research shows fire ants continue to forage and consume bait, even in cooler weather and so it is absolutely essential that treatment continues, especially in areas where density is getting out of control, like in the Lockyer Valley, Somerset and Scenic Rim regions. 

‘The increased treatment schedule, along with drone led treatments, suppression and containment boosts will be essential if we are to gain ground over the coming 12 months.

‘We now need the Albanese Government to step up, match Queensland’s $24 million suppression funding boost and commit to the full ongoing eradication program.

‘These cross-border detections and interceptions are proof that this is not just a Queensland issue. If fire ants escape the current containment zone undetected, they will spread across the country, devastating agriculture, threatening public health, and damaging our wildlife and way of life.

‘Fire ants are among the world’s worst invasive pests. Their aggressive stings can trigger severe allergic reactions in humans, and they pose a serious threat to pets, livestock, native animals and infrastructure.

‘If eradication fails, the cost of fighting back will fall squarely on everyday Australians. Families spraying harsher chemicals in their backyards, sporting clubs battling ants on ovals, councils forced to treat beaches and parks – just to keep these tiny killers at bay.

‘Australia still has a chance to stop fire ants – but only if the Albanese Government steps up to the plate with the long-term funding needed to win this fight for good.’ 

Media inquiries: (02) 8006 5004

Fire ant images are available here.

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    Dear Project Team,

    [YOUR PERSONALISED MESSAGE WILL APPEAR HERE.] 

    I support the amendment to the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan to allow our incredible National Parks staff to use aerial shooting as one method to rapidly reduce feral horse numbers. I want to see feral horse numbers urgently reduced in order to save the national park and our native wildlife that live there.

    The current approach is not solving the problem. Feral horse numbers have rapidly increased in Kosciuszko National Park to around 18,000, a 30% jump in just the past 2 years. With the population so high, thousands of feral horses need to be removed annually to reduce numbers and stop our National Park becoming a horse paddock. Aerial shooting, undertaken humanely and safely by professionals using standard protocols, is the only way this can happen.

    The government’s own management plan for feral horses states that ‘if undertaken in accordance with best practice, aerial shooting can have the lowest negative animal welfare impacts of all lethal control methods’.

    This humane and effective practice is already used across Australia to manage hundreds of thousands of feral animals like horses, deer, pigs, and goats.

    Trapping and rehoming of feral horses has been used in Kosciuszko National Park for well over a decade but has consistently failed to reduce the population, has delayed meaningful action and is expensive. There are too many feral horses in the Alps and not enough demand for rehoming for it to be relied upon for the reduction of the population.

    Fertility control as a management tool is only effective for a small, geographically isolated, and accessible population of feral horses where the management outcome sought is to maintain the population at its current size. It is not a viable option to reduce the large and growing feral horse population in the vast and rugged terrain of Kosciuszko National Park.

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    I recognise the sad reality that urgent and humane measures are necessary to urgently remove the horses or they will destroy the Snowies and the native wildlife that call the mountains home. I support a healthy national park where native species like the Corroboree Frog and Mountain Pygmy Possum can thrive.

    Kind regards,
    [Your name]
    [Your email address]
    [Your postcode]


    Dear Project Team,

    [YOUR PERSONALISED MESSAGE WILL APPEAR HERE.] 

    I support the amendment to the Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Heritage Management Plan to allow our incredible National Parks staff to use aerial shooting as one method to rapidly reduce feral horse numbers. I want to see feral horse numbers urgently reduced in order to save the national park and our native wildlife that live there.

    The current approach is not solving the problem. Feral horse numbers have rapidly increased in Kosciuszko National Park to around 18,000, a 30% jump in just the past 2 years. With the population so high, thousands of feral horses need to be removed annually to reduce numbers and stop our National Park becoming a horse paddock. Aerial shooting, undertaken humanely and safely by professionals using standard protocols, is the only way this can happen.

    The government’s own management plan for feral horses states that ‘if undertaken in accordance with best practice, aerial shooting can have the lowest negative animal welfare impacts of all lethal control methods’.

    This humane and effective practice is already used across Australia to manage hundreds of thousands of feral animals like horses, deer, pigs, and goats.

    Trapping and rehoming of feral horses has been used in Kosciuszko National Park for well over a decade but has consistently failed to reduce the population, has delayed meaningful action and is expensive. There are too many feral horses in the Alps and not enough demand for rehoming for it to be relied upon for the reduction of the population.

    Fertility control as a management tool is only effective for a small, geographically isolated, and accessible population of feral horses where the management outcome sought is to maintain the population at its current size. It is not a viable option to reduce the large and growing feral horse population in the vast and rugged terrain of Kosciuszko National Park.

    Feral horses are trashing and trampling our sensitive alpine ecosystems and streams, causing the decline and extinction of native animals. The federal government’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee has stated that feral horses ‘may be the crucial factor that causes final extinction’ for 12 alpine species.

    I recognise the sad reality that urgent and humane measures are necessary to urgently remove the horses or they will destroy the Snowies and the native wildlife that call the mountains home. I support a healthy national park where native species like the Corroboree Frog and Mountain Pygmy Possum can thrive.

    Kind regards,
    [Your name]
    [Your email address]
    [Your postcode]