Brisbane Weather - Sunny
Brisbane, QLD
Sunny

Editor's Pick

More cruelty footage revealed
UPDATE: MORE footage of animal cruelty allegedly filmed in Egyptian abattoirs was revealed at a pres...
FARMERS across Queensland are in a state of breathless anticipation to rev up their bulldozers and begin large scale land clearing. Watch WWF's outrageous attack on Queensland farm...
Brewers bank on better barley
BREWERS hope a new barley variety released commercially this year will have end use characteristics ...
Kitchen winners enjoy beef, beer
SELF-confessed beef lover Dan Mulheron and his wife Steph are heading to Queensland Country Life's u...
Cupboards Online

Latest Comments

light grey arrow Dear Gabriel You like Lyn White are legends, and I hope you like Lyn, enjoy...
light grey arrow I see the above from Animal Guardian, are you serious ? Its obvious you...
FOL Mach House Ad
ALFA Lotfeeding - May 2013
LOOK out for ALFA Lotfeeding journal on your tablet or mobile phone with the ALFA Lotfeeding Journ...
Win a Casterton Kelpie
YOU could win a Casterton Kelpie - the prize pup “Go Getta Law” is valued up to $3000. To enter, rea...
Best of the Bush Photo Competition
TO celebrate our Best of the Bush initiative in 2013, Queensland Country Life is excited to launch i...
Horse Deals May issue out now
Horses for sale plus hours of great reading.
 News  light grey arrow  Agriculture  light grey arrow  Sheep  light grey arrow  Meat  light grey arrow  Donkey idea given the ass 
CONVERSATIONS
Comments on this article
The land comments
14

Wild dogs have decimated the small stock industry in the Southern Rangelands

Donkey idea given the ass

Print
Increase Text Size
Decrease Text Size
03 Dec, 2012 03:00 AM
THE latest tool in the fight against wild dogs has left many in the pastoral industry in WA scratching their heads.

Queensland producers are now using donkeys as part of the arsenal in controlling wild dog attacks on their sheep stations.

Queensland Landmark wool manager Bruce Lines recently organised a shipment of 128 donkeys which were purchased by producers from all over the State.

The donkeys allegedly have a good track record of warding off dogs and Mr Lines said they would act as guardian animals.

But he admitted producers would have a lot of work to do to get the donkeys to bond with the sheep.

Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) pastoral committee executive officer Edgar Richardson was a little baffled by the news but said at this point most pastoralists were willing to try anything.

"Wild dogs have decimated the small stock industry in the Southern Rangelands," he said.

"So if someone says it will work then I bet anyone out there will give it a go."

However there was the serious issue of controlling the donkeys, which were already considered a pest in the pastoral regions.

Mr Richardson said the only way around it was to only use female sterilised donkeys.

"Sterilisation would be the first step, they are already a massive pest and you wouldn't want to exasperate that problem," he said.

In response to claims the donkeys act as guardians, Mr Richardson was sceptical.

"There are huge numbers in the East Pilbara and the Kimberley and there is still a serious dog problem up there," he said.

"Although the possibility of training them is likely, but I don't know how you would get them to bond with the sheep, just put them in a yard and hope for the best maybe."

PGA wild dog spokesman Will Scott said the idea was nothing short of ridiculous.

He said the situation in the Kimberley and the Pilbara proved that it didn't work.

"If they do control dogs then why have we spent millions of dollars shooting them from helicopters up there," Mr Scott said.

"It is the biggest load of rubbish I have come across."

Mr Scott said even if it did work and donkeys did aid in chasing the dogs away, it was not a solution to the problem.

"All you are doing is shifting the problem onto someone else, you still have to kill the dogs," he said.

"It is out of desperation that we are going down this path."

According to Mr Scott the only way to effectively control the problem was through baiting, shooting, trapping and fences.

"It is how they were controlled in the 1900s," he said.

"We need to stop trying to invent the wheel."


Date: Newest first | Oldest first

READER COMMENTS

the idea of using donkeys to control wild dogs or dingos is fine on small holdings but I agree with Will Scott about the problem of bonding them to the flock and their pest status. The bonding would need to be done soon after birth and the donkies would have to be sterilised. Personally, I cannot see this working on very large stations.
Posted by farmer Barb, 3/12/2012 8:43:59 AM, on Queensland Country Life
heehawheehawheehaw

Hasn't anyone experienced dreamtime stories before?

Posted by Jen from the bush, 3/12/2012 9:04:43 AM, on Queensland Country Life
Whinging lazy graziers. Much easier to shoot or poison a problem that try something new.
Posted by BB, 3/12/2012 11:10:43 AM, on The Land
the key to sucess is getting adolescent donkeys, and keeping them sperated(only one to a paddock/area)

a castrated jack would work as well as a female(which wouldnt have to be sterilised if its on its own.

Donkeys are far less of a threat than dogs, or camels to our industry.

in my opinion nothing can replace well managed baiting, but if a donkey kills, or chases off a few dogs then it is a win.-we have lots of dog issues with calves, and intend to give the idea a go, not just write it off.

Remember: there are always plenty of people that say it cant be done,


Posted by big country, 3/12/2012 12:25:01 PM, on Farm Weekly
I have used donkeys for many years to keep dogs away from calving cows but like people there are good and bad donkeys and people forget that they also need hoofs trimmed etc so need to be handled and in my experience jacks are nothing but a nuisance so need to be cut. They won't kill a dog but do chase them away but you do need to bond them to the anaimls they are to protect and with wild donkeys that isn't easy.
Posted by Mrs Mac, 3/12/2012 12:28:47 PM, on Queensland Country Life
The Donkey will work well in large areas if they are used in pairs. I have seen donkeys kill coyote by stamping them to death. I think Mr Scott need to think outside of the box.
Posted by Canada, 3/12/2012 3:16:44 PM, on The Land
Right - lets see... I cant have horses in this country as it is full of

1 Poisons that roll equines

2 Virus several that roll mammals including humans and horses

3 Supplement licks that I doubt will agree with donkeys

Why bother... there are enough donkeys in Australia running loose in government.


Posted by mouse, 3/12/2012 6:26:02 PM, on Queensland Country Life
Hey canada - it must have been pretty sad coyote.

Outside the box is all good -just dont fly off the planet with the pixies now.

Posted by mouse, 3/12/2012 6:30:50 PM, on Queensland Country Life
I will work and quickly too.

First locate some Donkeys,

Chop Donkeys into small pieces, inject with Strychnine spread well .

Soon no more bother with dogs.

Posted by X Ag Socialist, 3/12/2012 6:47:59 PM, on Farm Weekly
I have an infertile female donkey running with calves: they bonded immediately. She does chase dogs. But I think Edgar Richardson is right: you'd only be chasing the problem onto someone else's place. And if you ran more than one donkey, it's unlikely they'd bond with another species. So no solution for larger places.
Posted by Jane, 4/12/2012 7:42:20 AM, on The Land
1 | 2  |  next >

POST A COMMENT


Screen name *
Email address *
Remember me?
Comment *
 

Cropping

PULSE producers will welcome the rain across Victoria and South Australia, not only as a chance to get the 2013 planting season into full swing, but also to lessen the risk of plantback issues.
PULSE producers will welcome the rain across Victoria and South Australia, not only as a chance to get the...
VIDEO: IN THE early 1960s the papers were breathlessly calling cotton “white gold”, but there really was an element of goldrush in the building of the cotton industry.
VIDEO: IN THE early 1960s the papers were breathlessly calling cotton “white gold”, but there really was...light grey video
THE USDA is forecasting a record global wheat crop this year, with a rise in plantings across the globe, but this bearish news had not brought back wheat prices in the past week.
THE USDA is forecasting a record global wheat crop this year, with a rise in plantings across the globe,...

Machinery

PARKLANDS have released a new wood chipper just in time for the colder months.
PARKLANDS have released a new wood chipper just in time for the colder months.
AGCO Australia has merged with the GSI Group - a global supplier of grain storage, material handling, conditioning and drying solutions.

Wool

THE Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) has jumped 30 cents this week, pushing above 1000c a kilogram for the first time in four weeks.
THE Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) has jumped 30 cents this week, pushing above 1000c a kilogram for the...
THE wool market kicked 26 cents a kilogram last week and industry experts are tipping this upward trend could continue.
THE wool market kicked 26 cents a kilogram last week and industry experts are tipping this upward trend...

Livestock

DAIRY farmer Wendy Wallace thinks it would
DAIRY farmer Wendy Wallace thinks it would "be a toss-up" whether the 150-cow, million litre organic dairy...
The RSPCA has backed an investigation into the deaths of 46 heifers at a state government research station.
CONTROVERSY has erupted over the federal government’s refusal to open up former cattle stations - now national parks - in northern Queensland, for emergency grazing.
CONTROVERSY has erupted over the federal government’s refusal to open up former cattle stations - now...

Agribusiness

THE Greens say this week’s federal budget produced a disappointing result for farming and rural communities.
THE Greens say this week’s federal budget produced a disappointing result for farming and rural communities.
JOHN Deere's shares traded down as the company reduced its current-year sales growth target - and bad weather is the  excuse.
JOHN Deere's shares traded down as the company reduced its current-year sales growth target - and bad...

Horticulture

SOME horticultural producers may see paying for pollination services as a necessary cost, but for one Australian seed company it has made them a world leader in carrot seed production.
SOME horticultural producers may see paying for pollination services as a necessary cost, but for one...
AUSVEG has launched a 1800 Agronomist hotline for vegetable growers, an industry-driven initiative which will be introduced on a national basis to provide technical information...
Farmonline Australia North Queensland Register Queensland Country Life The Land Stock and Land Stock Journal Farm Weekly Fairfax Agricultural Media
 SEND...
 SAVE...
 SHARE...