Anyone seen a fox?

The latest fox news from the Taskforce is pretty grim. Anyone spotted a fox in Tassie yet?

[Speculator]

The latest fox news from the Taskforce is pretty grim. Anyone spotted a fox in Tassie yet?

Why is it our native wildlife gets hit by cars and not these introduced pests?

Fox hunting is a controversial practise in the UK. Maybe we should offer the English toffs a stay in Tassie, for free if they catch a fox!

[Son of a Beach]

We managed to eliminate the Thylacine (or did we?), I'm sure we could do the same for the fox, if a similar cultural climate existed.

[flyfisher]

Yes, nothing wrong with a little empire building.
Has anyone ever noticed how there is always a sighting when they have copped a bit of criticism

FF

There does seem to be a bit of controversy around them. It'd be a *&%$#! miracle if foxes weren't here though- considering the concentration of them in Melbourne. I did wonder if this was another governmental waste of money though....

Someone had the idea a while ago that reintroducing devils to the mainland would be a good way to lower fox numberds- apparently the idea is that devils would eat fox cubs in the den.

[Speculator]

Former Launceston mayor Ivan Dean spoke out against the Fox Taskforce, speaking from the position of a former police officer, saying essentially, that no police investigation would ever have gotten off the ground (let alone be funded this heavily) with as little evidence to support it as there is for the apparent fox problem.

One does wonder what the likelihood of so few foxes in Tasmania surviving long enough to reproduce, and successfully finding a mate out of what must be very small numbers actually is.

I don't want to talk down the fox eradication efforts too much, because I can see that IF there is a real threat it definitely needs to be dealt with. On the other hand though, one wonders whether this is just the pet obsession of yet another mate of the Lennon government who's stirring up the sort of nutcases who report Thylacine sightings to keep them in a well-paying job.
Frankly, when you look at the amount of support and funding that was so quickly thrown behind fox eradication, compared to the initial shamefully sluggish response to the devil facial tumour disease and take into account the obvious difference in presented evidence for each. Well, I for one, can't help but be a little suspicious.

L8r.

[BarryJ]

.................................
Someone had the idea a while ago that reintroducing devils to the mainland would be a good way to lower fox numberds- apparently the idea is that devils would eat fox cubs in the den.

Apparently the devil is the main reason foxes have never established in Tasmania despite attempts by the early settlers to introduce them. Now the devils are in decline, the chance of foxes becoming established is greater.

I must admit that I would like to see the scope of the Fox Task Force increased to become the Fox and Feral Cat Task Force.

[Robbo]

I reckon the re-introduction of TD's to the mainland would be a great idea. It might keep the fox numbers down and more importantly do something about the feral cat problem, which in my view, is a much greater problem for native fauna than is given proper credence.

Only good cat is a dead cat?

I saw this the other day, which may be of interest to cat non lovers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dzi_8Rs ... 53&index=0

Tony Robinson

[walkinTas]

I reckon the re-introduction of TD's to the mainland would be a great idea. It might keep the fox numbers down and more importantly do something about the feral cat problem, which in my view, is a much greater problem for native fauna than is given proper credence.

I'm not sure about the Devil heading north, but anything that can limit feral cats is IMO welcome. The Greens presented a draft bill a while back. More recently a Longford Farmer started his own protest.

Slow to react as ever, the Tasmanian government has finally acknowledge the problem and proposed "microchipping and de-sexing as solutions. I don't think this goes far enough. All cat breeders should be registered. All other cat owners should only be allowed to keep de-sexed cats. There should be heavy fines for breeding a cat if you are not a registered breeder.

If I wanted to be really controversial I could suggest that people who dump cats in the bush should also be de-sexed.

[flyfisher]

I hate cats, remind me of the types of people i never seem to get along with

Had a nice little incident with one of the neighbours 5 cats about 2 weeks ago.Wifey saw it through glass piddling on front (security) door then walked along deck to a dead end.
When I came out the front door to shoo it off ,it jumped from the deck to the roof of my Rangie about 3 metres away and landed with all claws out.
Then tried to jump to the top of their fence but slipped and ripped another heap of scratches on the paint, then hit the fence about 100 mm too low.
Local council (Clarence) has no regulations about cats although they have many about dogs.

Flyfisher

Grizzly bears eat foxes.

But honestly, it does seem strange that there's not more of them, if they are here. There's not that many devils, and foxes reproduce like rabbits.

The funny thing is- I only ever saw 2 foxes in the wild in the US, and I was over the moon with excitement when I did.

I hate cats, remind me of the types of people i never seem to get along with

Had a nice little incident with one of the neighbours 5 cats about 2 weeks ago.Wifey saw it through glass piddling on front (security) door then walked along deck to a dead end.
When I came out the front door to shoo it off ,it jumped from the deck to the roof of my Rangie about 3 metres away and landed with all claws out.
Then tried to jump to the top of their fence but slipped and ripped another heap of scratches on the paint, then hit the fence about 100 mm too low.
Local council (Clarence) has no regulations about cats although they have many about dogs.

Flyfisher

BANG!

[flyfisher]

BANG!

Would love to. 5 on one side and three on another and they all use my yard as a toilet
Perhaps they need an ipood but I think your idea is morebetta

Flyfisher

[johnw]

they all use my yard as a toilet

Ditto in my yard, I'm sick of cleaning up after them. I hate @#$%*!&* cats! You should be allowed to keep a shotgun and use it to full effect.

Sadly, we've allowed much of the wildlife on the mainland to become extinct or under threat through past introduction of feral pests; cats, dogs, rabbits, foxes, those flying vermin Indian Mynah birds, cane toads, the list goes on and on...

Bring the devils up here I say, apart from fox cubs what other pests can they eat?

Following a link earlier in this thread, I stumbled on the following article (looks like the fox eradication program might at least be taking out a few feral cats :

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24194379-3462,00.html

[whiskeylover]

I agree, feral cats need to be dealt with - funding the eradication of foxes which we're not entirely sure are here and ignoring feral cats seems quite strange.

One way to deal with cats in town - (as bang! is a problem when you have close neighbours) - is to get a trap from the council and get them to deal with it . If we all did this then eventually councils will find that they are being inundated with calls for feral cats to be removed and they will put political pressure on the state government for funding for a more efficient and effective way to deal with the problem. Eradicating cats is probably impossible now, but some control of owners would go a long way to helping the problem.
Yes, dogs are also becoming a problem - particluarly in the Walls and central plateau areas - and again, how much funding is going toward this? (maybe a little to Parks, but not enough).

I vote we lobby for funding for giant hamster eradication - I can be the free lunch organiser, and you guys can be the spotters who have seen one making off with your favorite thermals.

[walkinTas]

I think if authorities are going to deal with the cat problem long term then they must control cat breeding. Require all breeders to be registered. Firstly control the breeding, then have laws that impose heavy fines on anyone who breeds cats and is not registered. Then make it cost effective for people to have cats de-sexed so they won't breed. Finally, require all registered breeders to de-sex and micro-chip kitten before they are sold. In ten years time all young urban cats will be cats that have been de-sexed and mirco-chipped. And hopefully, since buying a cat will be more expensive, their owners will be more responsible.

[Speculator]

Just got a link to this story in my inbox. Thought it was rather timely!:

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,24194379-3462,00.html

Make of it what you will!

L8r.

[flyfisher]

Yeah you get reports like that now and then in the mercury. I think they get a brown paper bag full of scats sent over from rural Victoria every now and then
and pay small boys to scatter them around the northern midlands.

FF

[Chris]

What a load of cynics you are!

I heard Nick Mooney talk about this 2 or 3 years ago and he convinced me, even about the necessity for baiting (though I lost a dog to 1080 years ago, so I detest the stuff).

They really are elusive animals in the bush (Melbourne docks are rather a different environment) and I do believe that if we start seeing them in any numbers it will then be too late to undo the damage.
The road-kill fox in 2006 (Glen Esk Road) is very hard to argue with. No, it hadn't been warmed up in a microwave! Conspiracy theories abound, but the DNA evidence is pretty convincing to me, also Tas endemic animals in guts which have decomposed at the same rate as the fox they were found in.

I have to agree with the sentiment on feral cats, which are a major problem; this is the time to put in submissions to the state gov. enquiry, let's bombard them!.

[johnw]

I One way to deal with cats in town - (as bang! is a problem when you have close neighbours) - is to get a trap from the council and get them to deal with it

Have done this with success several times, including years ago a particularly aggressive breeding female that took weeks to trap (and even managed to escape the rather substantial council-supplied trap on one occasion).

[norts]

http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/We ... HE28G?open

That link takes you a position paper that is up for public consultation on cat management

Roger

[walkinTas]

Thank you Roger for that excellent link.

wT.

[whiskeylover]

I stand corrected - council won't do anything about feral cats - or domestic ones for that matter. RSPCA will take them for a price. Hence the link Roger posted regarding the cat management plan for Tassie. They reckon it will take quite a few years to implement this plan, which involves getting owners to register cats and desexing domestic cats. Unfortunately I can't see it working very well as the cost will prevent many owners desexing and how do you patrol that sort of thing?
In the mean time they haven't really tackled the feral problem although there are ways farmers etc can deal with them. As mentioned I'm sure some people get much pleasure/comfort from their pets but unless they are responsible pet owners I'm not interested. Yes, there may be a few foxes here, and if there are, they certainly need to be dealt with, but couldn't the funding be aimed at both foxes and cats, which might actually be a more defendable use of public moneys.
The cat management plan is still open for public comment for a month or so, so if you've got a moment, a submission regarding feral cat control being included in the plan might be worthwhile.

I've just planted around 150 birch trees, and the neighbour's cats come and *&^%$#! on them everyday. Council will do nothing about it.

BANG. I mean, surely there's some way to deal with it, without violence.....

BANG.

Was that my car backfiring?

[Speculator]

I've just planted around 150 birch trees, and the neighbour's cats come and *&^%$#! on them everyday. Council will do nothing about it.

BANG. I mean, surely there's some way to deal with it, without violence.....

BANG.

Was that my car backfiring?

A large dog ought to do the trick! Or even some small ones that hate cats (my Jack Russell goes mental even at the sound of a cat on the Telly). The dogs aren't likely to catch the cats, but they wont be so inclined to come into your yard.

L8r.

[Son of a Beach]

Maybe we should encourage people to have native pets (not pinched from the wild, of course), instead of banning them for all but those who are specially licensed?

[walkinTas]

Check out the maths!

Fox Task force = $5 Million per year for 10 years. Half of that is State and half is Federal.

Cat population is estimated at 92,000 domestic cats and 150,000 stray & feral cats. Ok, passive approach then! $25,000,000 is $270.00 per domestic cat. The estimated cost of de-sexing is $175.00 per cat. Estimated cost of micro-shipping is $40.00 per cat. The government could pay to have every domestic cat in Tasmania de-sexed and micro-chipped for less than the cost of the Fox Task Force. ...And still have $25,000,000 Federal dollars to shot the 15 foxes they estimate live in Tasmania.

Last edited by walkinTas on Mon 25 Aug, 2008 10:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

[theMISSIONARY]

Maybe we should encourage people to have native pets (not pinched from the wild, of course), instead of banning them for all but those who are specially licensed?

a friend has a permit for his two wallabies(Rufus) and i have to say the male is very aggressive i don't like it near my kids but the other(female) is nice

as for Fox's they were introduced back in the old days but the didnt catch on(devils and quoll's) there was even a fox hunt up in the Middlesex plains

but now with far more urbanisation the devils and Quoll's are not common on most farmy type areas so the Fox's(no i have not seen any) could get a ground hold

the Fox task force will shoot any feral cats they see(i know a group leader in the force lol ) but they dont trap for them...its a pity as i think they should

i have shot far too many on the farms i visit so i know how much of a problem it can be......unlike most town people

Maybe we should encourage people to have native pets (not pinched from the wild, of course), instead of banning them for all but those who are specially licensed?

Quolls, Devils, Wallabys, Ringtails and Brushies all make excellent pets, as do many of the smaller, endangered marsupials and other mammals such as Kowari and hopping mice.

[Son of a Beach]

Maybe we should encourage people to have native pets (not pinched from the wild, of course), instead of banning them for all but those who are specially licensed?

Quolls, Devils, Wallabys, Ringtails and Brushies all make excellent pets, as do many of the smaller, endangered marsupials and other mammals such as Kowari and hopping mice.

They would, IF we were allowed to keep them as pets. Unfortunately, we're only allowed to have exotic problem animals as pets.