2024–25 wild dog management zone work plans

Wild dog management zone (WDMZ) work plans are developed annually by the community, industry and government. They create a shared understanding that helps stakeholders to work effectively together to reduce the impacts of wild dogs using all available tools.

Wild dog management

A successful wild dog control program requires an integrated, strategic and proactive approach where all land managers, community and government work together to protect livestock from the impacts of wild dogs through a cross-tenure approach. This plan is a result of community and government working together.

Wild dogs are declared established pest animals under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act) on all land tenures. All public and private landowners have a responsibility under the CaLP Act to take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of, and as far as possible eradicate, established pest animals, including wild dogs, on their land.

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) supports coordinated strategic 1080 poison programs on public and private land to protect impacted landholders and neighbouring properties. When wild dogs attack livestock, DEECA’s wild dog controllers provide direct support and assistance to producers.

What we do

Ground baiting

Targeted ground baiting is a proactive tool that supports individuals and communities experiencing livestock losses due to wild dogs.

DEECA will carry out targeted ground baiting on public land after community consultation. The attached map shows where targeted ground baiting will occur between 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. Targeted ground baiting transects will be baited at least once throughout this period. Adjoining landowners will be notified prior to baiting starting and warning signs put in place on all baited land.

Trapping

DEECA will provide reactive trapping services to support individuals and communities experiencing livestock losses and other negative impacts due to wild dogs, such as attacks or threatening behaviour towards domestic animals and pets. Warning signs are put in place when trapping is being undertaken.

DEECA will implement proactive trapping across the WDMZ where the workload of the wild dog controller permits.

Shooting

DEECA will use shooting to manage the impacts of wild dogs to support baiting and trapping activities, or where appropriate, in areas where baiting and trapping cannot be implemented.

Risk assessment

Be aware that due to local circumstances such as risk to non-target species, proximity to high traffic areas, habitation, and public access, it may not be possible to perform any on-ground control works on public and/or private land in the area.

What you can do

Wild dog management techniques

There are a variety of lethal and non-lethal wild dog management techniques available to landholders, including:

• baiting with 1080 and PAPP
• trapping
• shooting
• exclusion fencing
• guardian animals
• property hygiene.

Landholders must consider the risks of each management technique as it applies to their situation.

Information and advice on the use and application of each of these methods can be provided by a wild dog controller or the community vertebrate pest control coordinator. Alternatively, read the information at Integrated wild dog control.

Community control groups

Community wild dog control programs, supported by the Wild Dog Program’s community vertebrate pest control coordinator, involve groups of private landowners in a local area taking part in coordinated wild dog control on private land.

Coordinated control programs provide the opportunity to maximise the benefits of integrated baiting and trapping efforts conducted by private landowners to complement the works of DEECA for effective long term wild dog management.

Participants in community wild dog control programs can learn from one another which techniques work best in their local area, and benefit from organised demonstrations and field days which include non-lethal control methods such as exclusion fencing and use of guardian animals.

For more information on how to become involved in a community wild dog control program, contact your community vertebrate pest control coordinator:

Mick Freeman, DEECA
Phone: 0429 079 131
Email: michael.freeman@deeca.vic.gov.au

Report wild dog incidents

Incident reports involving stock killed or maimed will be given priority over wild dogs reported seen or heard. Depending on the demand for services of the wild dog controller, seen-and-heard reports may not receive an on-ground response. However, the details of all incident reports are recorded and used for intelligence gathering to inform control activities.

Landholders who observe wild dog activity or experience a wild dog attack must phone their senior wild dog controller as soon as possible after an incident to formally lodge an incident report. The senior wild dog controller will triage the incident report and assign a wild dog controller to respond to the incident and provide follow-up communication.

If contact is not made directly with the senior wild dog controller, we ask that landholders leave a message and the senior wild dog controller will return the call within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays).

Note: To report any issues in relation to domestic dogs, contact your local council.

Our service agreement with the community

The DEECA Wild Dog Program response process for killed, maimed or harassed livestock, or where pets are attacked or people feel threatened, includes:

1. a wild dog controller contacting the landholder within 24 hours (excluding weekends and public holidays)
2. verification of stock death due to wild dog attack within 72 hours (i.e. not fox or domestic dogs) and wild dog activity where current work demands allow
3. contact with local shire ranger if impacts are believed to be domestic dog-related
4. provision of advice to landholders on immediate actions to be taken on-farm to mitigate further losses and risk
5. provision of advice to bushwalkers and other public land users who are concerned about wild dog activity
6. assessment of current wild dog control in the area on both public and private land (and modify if required)
7. considering potential human and non-target species risks that may impact on the wild dog ontroller’s ability to safely and effectively manage wild dogs before implementing control actions using reactive tools and techniques.

Be aware that, due to local circumstances, it may not be possible to perform any on-ground control works on public and/or private land in the area.

Reactive wild dog control services, if applicable, may be withdrawn 30 days or less after a livestock attack. However, the provision of advice and works in the surrounding region may continue.

Wild dog management zone work plan documents and maps

Individual wild dog management zone work plan documents and maps for each of the 15 wild dog management zones are linked below:

• Alexandra wild dog management zone
• Bonang, Bendoc, Tubbut and Deddick wild dog management zone
• Buchan and Gelantipy wild dog management zone
• Burrowye, Granya and Walwa wild dog management zone
• Corryong wild dog management zone
• Dargo and Bairnsdale wild dog management zone
• Gembrook, Noojee and Erica wild dog management zone
• Licola, Heyfield and Maffra wild dog management zone
• Mansfield wild dog management zone
• Mitta Mitta and Sandy Creek wild dog management zone
• Omeo, Swifts Creek and Benambra wild dog management zone
• Orbost and Cann River wild dog management zone
• Ovens wild dog management zone
• Tallangatta wild dog management zone
• Whitfield wild dog management zone

How you can contribute to future plans

WDMZ community meetings are held annually in March and April across wild dog-affected communities. The discussions from these meetings help to inform how wild dog management takes place within each WDMZ on both private and public land and contributes to the development of this work plan.

You will have an opportunity to provide input into the 2025–2626 wild dog management zone work plans in March 2025.

Contact us

Contact the Wild Dog Program by emailing wild.dogs@deeca.vic.gov.au or contact your Senior Wild Dog Controller.

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