WILD rabbits and foxes in Bunbury need to be managed properly across a targeted area or they could run rampant and decimate native animal populations, according to a local expert.
Animal Pest Mana-gement Services managing director Mike Butcher made the observations in light of a report into the city’s biosecurity, concerned that Department of Agriculture and Food WA funding cuts might mean invading pests are left to multiply.
City of Bunbury sustainability team leader Ben Deely, who wrote the report, told council last week that there was not an immediate threat.
“Anecdotally I think it’s fair to say we are not seeing teams of rabbits and foxes necessarily taking over the countryside – [but] of course everyone is well aware of the rabbits that we do have over in Koombana Bay,” Mr Deely said.
Mr Butcher and his company are subcontracted by Natural Areas Man-agement, which manages pests for the City.
He said there were “significant” numbers of both pests in most reserves around Bun-bury, including the area south of Manea Park, Koombana Bay and around Big Swamp.
He said native animals like ring-tail possums, bandicoots and brush-tail phascogales were under threat.
“If you don’t manage and reduce pest populations correctly, the number of native animals in that area will decline,” Mr Butcher said.
He welcomed the City’s initiative to address the issue but warned it needed to be done correctly.
“Fox control in urban areas is difficult and highly specialised.”
“Traps pose a risk to domestic animals when you are trapping foxes, but those risks can be mitigated by the trap size, location and method of set, and number of traps.”
Bunbury landholders are legally responsible for the management of declared pests, like the European rabbit and red fox present in Bunbury.
But the council is responsible for pests on public land.
The City spends about $180,000 on biosecurity each year across all of its landholdings.
Approximately $18,000 of that is spent on the management of declared pests.
Council was expected to vote on referring the matter to the WA Local Government Association last night.