Threat abatement project ID 40595
Vertebrate Pest Research Unit
ISBN 0 7347 1623 0
About this project
In 2009, the department contracted the Vertebrate Pest Research Unit of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industry to develop codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the humane capture, handling or destruction of feral animals in Australia.
These documents provide pest animal control methods that are humane, target-specific, cost-effective and safe for humans to use.
They were produced after extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders throughout Australia, including government and non-government organisations, animal welfare groups and technical specialists.
Codes of practice for each of the key pest animal species provide general information on best practice management, control strategies, species biology and impact, and the humaneness of current control methods.
Standard operating procedures describe management techniques and their application for these pest animal species, including a discussion of animal welfare impacts for target and non-target species. They also cover the health and safety aspects of management techniques.
How should you use these documents?
These documents are for anyone engaged in pest animal control, from land managers through to pest animal control officers and researchers. If you plan to conduct pest animal control, you should also ensure you comply with your state or territory legislation.
These procedures allow people to uniformly implement techniques and training for effective pest animal control, and address community expectations and regulatory requirements. These documents also reflect a common-sense approach, and can be applied across many situations and environments as appropriate.
Since they were first published, several of these documents have been updated with new research on management techniques and details on their application.