Damaged sections of South Australia’s Dog Fence are again dog-proof following extensive storms and floods in January 2022.
Significant damage to the Dog Fence occurred between Coober Pedy and the Flinders Ranges during the severe weather - with a total of 40 floodways, stretching over 25 km of the Dog Fence, damaged beyond repair.
As soon as the roads dried out, a dedicated group of people, including local Dog Fence Board members, landowners and station employees, State Government staff, Dog Fence patrol and fencing contractors worked tirelessly to repair the damage and make the fence dog-proof.
More than 33,000 baits were dropped around the fence as part of the emergency response to the floods, as an additional protection measure against wild dog incursions while the fence was damaged.
Manufacturing the baits required significant collaboration between local landowners, community members and staff from the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) and National Parks and Wildlife Services from Port Augusta, the Flinders Ranges, and Adelaide. The baits were then deployed by a local charter operator.
Further heavy thunderstorms hit in late April, again damaging the Dog Fence in the Northern Flinders Ranges and Coober Pedy areas. Early assessments show damage was confined to creeks temporarily repaired after the January floods, highlighting the need for the Dog Fence to be rebuilt. Work to repair the latest areas of damage is now underway.
In 2019, about two-thirds or 1600 km of the South Australian Dog Fence was more than 100 years old and it was ageing and brittle. Many sections were degraded by kangaroos, emus, feral camels, wild dogs, weather events and sand erosion. A $25 million project to rebuild the Dog Fence in South Australia is now underway. As of 6 May 2022, more than 400 km of the Dog Fence has been rebuilt and 470 km is under construction.
The rebuilt Dog Fence has been designed to withstand more extreme weather events. Sections rebuilt across creeks and floodways now include ‘sacrificial’ sections that wash away in flood waters to avoid damaging surrounding areas of the Dog Fence.
Learn more at https://pir.sa.gov.au/dogfence
The Dog Fence is part of efforts to control the impact of wild dogs on South Australia’s livestock industry. South of the Dog Fence, control efforts also include baiting, shooting through the SA bounty scheme, and humane trapping. The tender for South Australia’s wild dog trapping program from 2022 to 2030 is open until Thursday 2 June 2022. To learn more, visit www.tenders.sa.gov.au and search ‘wild dog trapping’.