Today on Paddock Chat we’re getting into the research behind WA’s wild dog problem. Joining us today is a wildlife ecologist and DPIRD research scientist, Dr Tracey Kreplins. Tracey busted some common myths about wild dogs, gave us an update on the research being done in WA, and some insight into the kind of activity we may see following a productive breeding season and mild summer. We are also joined by returning guest, Midlands Biosecurity Group coordinator Chris O’Callaghan. You would have heard from Chris on our first ever episode of Paddock Chat called “Pest management starts at home” or on our episode about tackling the growing feral pig population called “How to cure our feral pig problem”.

Feral pigs cost the agricultural industry over $100 million each year, largely via predation of lambs, competition with livestock and damage to property and crops. In this episode, I caught up with Peter Adams, DPIRD development officer and returning guest, the Midlands Biosecurity Group’s coordinator Chris O’Callaghan to get a better understanding of their impact on the Midlands region and what we can do to reduce their populations and damage to farm businesses. You can follow Pete on Twitter via @FeralTwit and Chris via @OCallaghanChris. 

In this episode, the West Midlands Group caught up with Chris O’Callaghan and Jim Miller to chat about how the Midlands Biosecurity Group is tackling wild dogs in our region. Our conversation was recorded in mid-April and due to restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this interview was recorded via Zoom so the audio quality isn’t amazing. We do talk about the extermination of feral pests so if you don’t want to hear about the nitty-gritty of animal control, maybe skip this one. USEFUL LINKS: Visit www.mbg.org.au for more information about pest control in the Midlands region. You can contact the West Midlands Group via www.wmgroup.org.au or email us on comms@wmgroup.org.au.