Feral pests are a real and constant headache for farmers and landholders throughout Australia. In Victoria the problem is being tackled head-on by volunteers of the Conservation and Pest Management (CPM) program, administered by the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA) Victoria under a Memorandum of Understanding with Parks Victoria.

The CPM program operates state-wide and targets the control of numerous pest species. To become involved in the program, volunteers must be properly accredited and are chosen on the strength of their local knowledge, hunting ability and marksmanship as well as their insight into the responsible and ethical control of the pest species involved.

The CPM initiative addresses a raft of issues and is committed to conserving, protecting and enhancing environmental and cultural assets while recognising that organised and targeted pest animal control is a legitimate and essential activity on land under the management of Parks Victoria.

On its inception the aim was to establish a framework for communication, co-operation and a working partnership between Parks Victoria and SSAA Victoria, to work towards a mutually beneficial outcome for all parties concerned and open pathways to provide opportunities for future projects between the two bodies and inform relevant consultation and policy decisions.

CPM was born out of the success of the initial Conservation and Wildlife Management program in South Australia. That SA initiative was designed to protect a national park from the damage being wreaked by feral goats and, employing about 70 volunteers working in teams, the operation accounted from almost 3500 goats in a week.

And it’s in tackling feral goats that one of the major success stories for CPM Victoria has come about via the ‘Judas’ goat release and GPS tracking program in the Grampians National Park and Black Range State Park. Here, a handful of feral goats were fitted with collars which allowed them – and more importantly the herds they were travelling with – to be tracked and despatched.

The system involves the use of ‘Judas’ goats familiar with a given area, and already an established part of the social structure of the target population, to be fitted with satellite tracking collars then re-introduced to the herd. While farmed goats have been used in certain situations, there is a chance they may not readily interact with their feral cousins and choose to move out of the target area, meaning the pest species remains free to wander untracked, causing untold havoc as they go.

Said CPM co-ordinator Brian Hawkes: “In the case of kangaroos and feral goats it’s sometimes difficult to comprehend just how much damage and devastation they cause. They travel great distances and can be very difficult to locate due to the areas they cover so to have a tracking system in place for these goats makes our job a whole lot easier.”

The ‘Judas’ goats are fitted with collars weighing roughly 850g (about 5 per cent body weight of an averaged-sized female), these collars emitting a VHF transmitting frequency which sends out pulses continuously for 24 months. Those signals are used to track the animals at close range during culling operations and also for retrieval of the collar on completion of the GPS battery life.

With the often-considerable distances involved, detailed tracking plays a vital role in saving shooters valuable time searching for the target herds and by studying a set of GPS locations, on-ground dispatchment is greatly improved thanks to the identification of home range and preferred locations where multiple fixes can be identified.

But CPM volunteers don’t just show up, they must undergo a rigorous accreditation process, both practical and theoretical, which gives members a wider understanding of what’s required of them including issues surrounding animal welfare, outdoor skills and environmental and conservation concerns.

Not surprisingly in the control of feral animals, humane despatching is uppermost in the volunteers’ skill sets and the practical element of accreditation is set at a demanding level to ensure the very best animal welfare outcomes. Training programs are offered on a regular basis to ensure all involved adhere to a set level of professionalism.

The CPM program is specifically tailored to state government agencies and conservation reserves, these being the landholding areas where community support is highest and volunteers equipped with essential local knowledge are an invaluable resource.

On receiving a request for assistance the CPM, in conjunction with property managers or landholders, will carry out due diligence on the property in question in order to formulate a dedicated pest management approach. Teams of volunteer shooters are then assigned to put the plan into practice.

But it’s not just a case of turning up as there are definite protocols and procedures which must be followed before a shot can even be taken. The ethics of culling, animal welfare and occupational health and safety issues are all taken into account to ensure the hunting code of conduct is strictly followed.

And as well as being accredited for the CPM program in Victoria, many volunteers also make the crossover to take part in the SSAA’s Farmer Assist initiative which, as the name suggests, brings members together to aid farmers and landholders with the control of destructive feral pests.

Launched in Victoria in 2016, the scheme encourages farmers to register their interest online and post jobs which will benefit from the help of SSAA members. Tasks normally involve the removal of kangaroos (under the Authority to Control Wildlife permit), deer, foxes and rabbits. To participate, SSAA members must register online while CPM volunteers need only upload a copy of their CPM accreditation and, once registered, can start to apply for jobs offered by farmers.