Wild Animals Face Australian Cutback

Australia is trying to thin the ranks of millions of animals, from buffaloes to pigs, which roam wild across the country’s rugged “top end.”

They are descended from about 20 species of domesticated animals abandoned during early attempts by Europeans to settle the inhospitable Northern Territory.

Now, after breeding almost unchecked for more than a century, the animals have reached almost plague proportions.

“We have found more wild animals than we ever believed. You name it, it’s out there,” said Robert Fox, regional manager of the Northern Territory’s Parks and Wildlife Authority.

The estimated tally includes 200,000 water buffaloes, 50,000 camels, around 500,000 wild horses, 50,000 donkeys and hundreds of thousands of pigs. Countless other castoffs such as ducks, geese, dogs and cats have survived and prospered in the Australian Bush since their owners departed or died.

The possibility of disease spreading through the feral (wild) animals that roam the sparsely populated territory, twice the size of Texas, from the lush coastal regions to the arid interior concerns the authorities.

If the feral animals caught hoof and mouth disease or swine fever it could spread to farm animals and affect the meat exporting industry.

Australia is free of these diseases, unlike some of its Southeast Asian neighbors. “But the risk of disease accidentally coming here is one of our nightmares,” Fox said.

Trying to Rid Disease

To remain competitive in the meat exporting industry, Australia is striving to free itself by 1992 of bovine diseases, including tuberculosis and brucellosis.

Both diseases have been almost eradicated from Australia’s six states but are still present in the Northern Territory.

Cattle stations in the territory are so vast that they cost enormous sums to fence and some are run along the lines of an annual cattle “hunt.”

Helicopters, light aircraft, motorcycles and horses are used to round up cattle, which are branded and sent for slaughter.

Agriculture industry officials have launched a campaign to improve fencing to stop cattle mingling with feral animals, particularly buffaloes, which were first introduced as a food source for settlers in 1826.

Although there is not much brucellosis among the estimated 200,000-strong buffalo herds, about 3% have tuberculosis. “So the feral buffalo have got to go,” Fox said.

Hunters kill about 40,000 a year for their hides and meat, much of it exported to West Germany. But still more buffaloes are born than die. Now, the killing is to be stepped up and the survivors domesticated.