Report prepared by David Hannah for the Koala Beach Wildlife & Habitat Management Committee PROPOSED 2008 KOALA BEACH FOX CONTROL PROGRAM K O A L A B E A C H E S T A T E

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Tweed Shire Council

Civic & Cultural Centre, PO Box 816

Tumbulgum Road,

Murwillumbah NSW 2484 Phone: 02 6670 2400 Facsimile: 02 6672 7513

Website: www.tweed.nsw.gov.au

PROPOSED 2008 KOALA BEACH FOX CONTROL PROGRAM

Report prepared by David Hannah for the Koala Beach Wildlife & Habitat

Management Committee

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2008 Fox Control Program

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Since the commencement of Tweed Shire Council’s project management of the fox control program in 2007 using the services of Michael Dickinson (Australian Wildlife and Feral management), a total of three foxes have been captured and destroyed at Koala Beach. Up until this time, no foxes had been destroyed as part of past fox control programs at the site

In addition to fox trapping, area searches have recorded a number of active and inactive fox dens which resulted in breeding disturbance to one active den and fumigation of another.

The program to-date has benefitted immensely from the use of passive infrared cameras used in conjunction with sand pad monitoring and feeding stations to gain a detailed insight into fox numbers, movements, and activity periods at the site. Subsequently, we now have a much clearer picture of fox activity in the Koala Beach area which has enabled refinement of the trapping approach (i.e. utilising longer pre-feeding periods with short trapping

episodes) and targeted trapping locations coinciding with known high activity areas.

The proposed 2008 fox control program described in this report reflects our current understanding of fox activity at koala Beach and incorporates a range of methods to minimise the predatory pressure on threatened species at the site.

2.0 PROPOSED 2008 FOX CONTROL METHODS

It is proposed to use the following methods to control foxes at the site:

 Sand pads to record fox (and non target species) foot prints prior to and during trapping episodes

 Passive Infrared (PIR) Cameras over movement corridors to detect numbers of individual species (as all foxes are slightly different in appearance) and indicative time of capture

 Establish feeding stations to determine interest in a particular trapping area

 Fox trapping at targeted trapping sites using foot traps to minimise the risk of non target animal captures (baiting is prohibited within 500 m of a residence and 4 km of a school)

 Inspection and fumigation of known den sites including one den in the south-east corner of the estate, a long time established den network in the south-west of the estate, and a series of short term overnight fox den sites within cane land directly west of Stage 6.

Trapping sites and frequency

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Three primary areas have been identified as having consistent fox movement in the koala beach area. These site are described as follows:

 Maintenance track adjacent Christies Creek accessed from Sugar Glider Drive (2 or 3 trapping stations).

 Koala Beach water reservoir (1 trapping station).

 Stage 2 - along an access track (1 trapping station) and in adjacent salt marsh (2 trapping stations) accessed from Koala Beach Stage 2.

The proposed trapping sites outlined above will be targeted based on fox activity, weather conditions (e.g. some trapping areas are low lying), and in consideration of other factors such as alternating trapping sites to limit fox avoidance.

Trapping would be undertaken at least 4 times over the year based on the following rationale:

 Summer is a very good time for heightened activity as juvenile and sub adult animals are out of the den and searching for food.

 Autumn trapping targets ‘local’ animals as dispersal of last years pups has generally taken place

 Winter is the breeding time, food is harder to find, and in some

instances, more interest is shown in localised areas near denning sites

 Springtime pups should be just starting to emerge and are easy targets due to their lack of experience with scents used to lure foxes to traps.

Trapping technique

Before each trapping period, sand plots will be swept down, food buried in the area, and the site watched over a period of 1 to 2 weeks to determine fox activity. If fox activity is identified, traps would be buried (but not set) and sites pre-fed with salami, chicken or pilchards to stimulate regular feeding during this 2 week period. PIR camera’s would be erected to identify the particular animals.

Once interest in noted at the foot trap site, traps would be armed for up to 5 days (maximum) and checked daily.

Data recorded includes pre-feeding duration, trapping duration, number of foot traps, lure and food types used, weather conditions, activity noted on sand pads and PIR cameras, and when a fox is captured, sex, weight, age class, condition, time and location of capture, DNA sample details.

So far the soft Jaw traps have proved most reliable. Collarum traps, although effective, are prone to firing and not catching an animal and therefore, risk that animal avoiding the site, and scent used indefinitely.

A large cage trap has been left in a patch of bush south of the estate for a number of months and would be set opportunistically during trapping

episodes. Cage traps may still be useful when we know young are out of the dens and exploring.

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Regarding non-target species at trap sites, there has been evidence of wallabies and goannas at trapping sites (i.e. foot prints and tail slides

observed) but no captures have occurred. Trap mechanisms are specifically designed for foxes / dogs with non target species known to move through a trap site setting off traps and avoiding capture.

Den site monitoring and control options

Winter is the main time for courtship and breeding dens will start to have some use. Many dens will be explored on a single basis by young and older foxes, with the breeding den being cleaned out and looked after in an obvious fashion.

Commencing in May, a walk through once a month will be undertaken visiting the two main den sites (one adjacent Cudgera Creek and one adjacent a cane drain in the south west of the estate) to determine whether maintenance has begun on the dens.

A small hand broom will be left in a nearby tree to each den area so that the front of a den can be swept down without introducing a new or different smell to the site.

If a den is noted to be freshly dug and maintained, either a trap will be placed nearby or the den fumigated and filled in presuming it to be inhabited by foxes at the time. A PIR camera would be used to facilitate this process.

Dens in the cane fields will be filled in only as ongoing checking of traps in the cane fields becomes too labour intensive and adds to overall costs of the project. Baiting in the cane fields will be implemented in conjunction with the rural lands protection board if cane field dens are active.

3.0 BUDGET

A summary of spending to date is presented in Table 1 below:

Table1: Fox control costs since adoption of program by Tweed Shire Council in 2007 (costs inclusive of GST)

Programs and costs Tweed Shire Council Charges (includes site work and

committee reporting) ($)

Consultant costs

($)

Total ($)

Winter 2007 Fox control program

Amount charged 2, 550 2, 940 5, 490

Total budget approved (August 2007)

7, 300 Component of Budget

unspent

1, 810

Spring / Summer 2007 Fox control program

Amount Charged 300 3,389 3,389

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Total budget approved (August 2007)

7,810 Component of Budget

unspent (as at May 2008)

4,421

The proposed costs to undertake trapping and den management for 2008 are presented in Table 2 below.

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Table 2: Proposed fox control costs for 2008 program

Functions

TSC Costs

Consultant Costs (ex.

GST)

Comments SEASONAL FOX TRAPPING COSTS

Preliminary site set-up (2 weeks) Establish PIR Camera, sand traps,

set out food stations 825

daily rate for site set up (includes 1 hr travel to site @ $75)

Sand / food lures 100

Monitor site for fox activity 460 300

TSC costs = 0.5 hr site visit per day for 13 days (includes fuel expenses) Consultant = 2 site visits @ 1 hr on site and 1 hr travel

Dig in foot traps (un-set) if interest

shown in area 300

1 site visit (includes 3 hrs on site and 1 hr travel)

Trapping

Implement a trapping program at selected site over a 5 day trapping

period (max) 300

3 hours for setting of traps, checking camera, and 1 hour travel

Daily checking of traps to be

undertaken by TSC 275

Max 1 hour per day for 5 days (includes re-feeding traps, checking sand pads, fuel costs)

Estimated costs for consultant to

euthanize trapped animals 300

Assumes 2 site visits (i.e. 2 animals euthanized)

Reporting and Project Management

Data collation and progress reporting

to the KBW&HMC 550 75

Total costs per season 1,285 2,200 3,485

Total cost per annum (assume 4

seasons) 13,940

DEN MONITORING ¹ Initial site walk over in May inspecting all known den sites

throughout the Koala Beach Estate 180 300

3 hour site visit in May 2008 including either trapping / fumigation / excavation Follow-up monitoring of traps

(depending on whether traps are set) 275 150

Assume traps set for 5 days and 1 animal euthanized (costs are maximum)

June den monitoring 180 300

3 hour site visit including either trapping / fumigation / excavation

Follow-up monitoring of traps

July den monitoring 180 300

3 hour site visit including either trapping / fumigation / excavation

Follow-up monitoring of traps

Fumigant 240

Assume 2 dens fumigated @ $80 per canister

Total costs 1,365 1,590 2,955

Total Program Costs per Annum

16,895

1 Dens may either be fumigated or trapped depending on situation and will only be re-trapped or fumigated if new activity is detected; TSC rates based on $55/hr ($550 maximum daily rate); Consultant rates based on $75/hr ($750 maximum daily rate) + GST.

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2008 Fox Control Program General information

 If fox activity is limited, then trapping will be postponed to a period when activity is high enough to expect a capture.

 Den management costs are subject to some variation as trapping or fumigation is dependent on fox activity and behaviour. It is likely that if active dens are recorded, and trapping and den fumigation takes place, then following this, dens will be abandoned and no further den

management will take place substantially reducing the costs for den management presented in Table 2.

 Cage traps will be opportunistically set at Koala Beach during fox

control work if information is received regarding stray or feral cats in the area.

 Trapping and warning signs will be placed during all trapping sessions to warn the general public that traps are set in the area.

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In summary, the fox control program to date has seen the removal of 3 foxes during 2007, fumigation of one den, and abandonment of another den site.

The 2008 program aims to significantly impact on the fox population at the site through both direct removal of animals using trapping and disturbing fox

breeding at den sites. The program will be revised at the end of 2008 in an effort to make the program more efficient and effective in association with reducing costs. In addition to the program proposed here, opportunities to supplement the program using lethal baiting will be further explored. The rural lands protection board are willing to undertake baiting and have offered to place baits at one den site in the south west of the estate. This may be further explored if activity is noted.

It is anticipated that once the program is endorsed, trapping and den monitoring will commence immediately.

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FIGURES

Figure 1: Trapping and den site site details, Koala Beach Estate

Symbol Legend Symbol Description

Soft-jaw foot trap sites Potential Den sites

Sand pad monitoring station Large cage trap

Passive Infrared Camera

N

Christies Crk

Reservoir

Stage 2

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PLATES

Photo 1: Sand pad monitoring site (records relative activity levels)

Photo 2: Fox tracks recorded within sand pads at Koala Beach Estate

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Photo 3: Passive Infrared Camera mounted adjacent Christies Creek

Photo 4: Passive Infrared camera image