Wild pigs culled

Australian officials have eradicated thousands of feral animals, including 4,750 wild pigs, in a bid to control numbers.

The cull was facilitated via a targeted aerial shoot in the western Riverina region of New South Wales by Local Land Services (LLS) after aerial surveys of the area indicated there were as many as 170 wild pigs per square kilometre.

Local farmers who are plagued with the pigs eating and damaging their crops have been calling for action for years and according to LLS the feral pig population in the area could swell to two million head within five years if uncontrolled.

The aerial shoot, which cost $200,000, covered an area of 750,000 hectares and killed up to 70% of the feral pig population.

LLS biosecurity and emergency services manager Michael Leane said: “This knockdown was required to reduce the pig population long term. We made a big effort to get these figures by surveying the area, so we knew how many we needed to take out of the landscape.”

The feral pigs are a pest for farmers but are also damaging the environment as they are spreading weeds and disease.

In total the cull, which took place across 30 private properties, national parks and the Nimmie-Caira wetlands, eradicated 5,644 pests including feral pigs, cats, goats, foxes and deer.

Officials decided to go ahead with the cull following reports from the NSW Farmers Association that feral pig numbers had risen so fast they were beyond the control of the landholders.