Agriculture Victoria biosecurity manager Jason Wishart thanked everyone who had participated in the 2021 Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty.
“Participants submit entire fox scalps for a $10 reward and entire wild dog body parts for a $120 reward during scheduled collection times,” he said.
“It is important to manage wild dogs and foxes because they prey on livestock and native wildlife and can carry diseases.”
The Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty has been running in Victoria since 2011 and in that time more than 940,000 fox scalps and 4200 wild dog body parts have been collected. In 2021 alone, 65,915 fox scalps and 309 wild dog body parts were received from 1136 participants.
“These numbers were achieved with reduced mobility and temporary suspensions of collections due to COVID-19 restrictions. So, although this is lower than other years, it is still a tremendous effort,” Mr Wishart said.
Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty collections are closed for the summer period and will recommence in March 2022.
“Hunters and landowners can still collect then freeze or air-dry fox scalps and wild dog body parts that can be submitted when the 2022 program recommences,” Mr Wishart said.
“I urge hunters to familiarise themselves with terms and conditions of the Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty to ensure the pieces they submit are acceptable.”
Foxes and wild dogs require ongoing management from all private and public land managers and effective management requires an integrated approach using a range of techniques including baiting, trapping, exclusion fencing and shooting.
“Hunting is important for managing foxes and wild dogs, but effective management requires the use of a range of control techniques,” Mr Wishart said.
A new digitised bounty application process will be launched in March 2022, which will improve administrative efficiency of the Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty and streamline payment.