FERALS AND You should also obey road signs as areas
may be closed to help prevent the spread
INVASIVE SPECIES of Phytophthora.
In Australia, feral animals have high
reproductive rates and usually have few natural predators. As a result of this, their numbers can rapidly increase and can impact on native species by predation, c o m p e t i n g f o r f o o d a n d s h e l t e r, destroying habitats and also by spreading diseases.
Phytophthora You can stop the spread by staying on the
Phytophthora is a fungus like, water designated tracks and using the hygiene mould organism. The organism is carried stations to clean your boots. in the soil and water and causes diseases Feral Cats and also death to a wide variety of native plant species.The Organisms begins by Feral cats have caused the extinction of attacking the roots and also the stems some birds and mammals and also which causes the native plants to rot and eventually die. The first visual signs of an threaten the survival of over 100 native infected plant are discolouration of the species in Australia. They can carry leaves, usually yellow or red colour. infectious diseases which can spread to native animals, domestic livestock and even humans. Feral cats can be found in all habitats over Australia including forests, woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and dry areas. There are a number of current methods put Its main food source is small animals, Feral European Rabbit in place to control the number of feral cats. including newborn lambs but it also eats These control methods include shooting, insects and fruit. Hunting the European Red traps and also poison baits, which is the Fox has not been proven successfully in most popular. reducing the number of foxes. However, fencing and poison baits have been successful in reducing the damage caused by foxes and also reducing their population.
Controls most commonly used include
exposure to disease which only affects rabbits and also using toxins to kill rabbits while they are in their warrens.
Feral European Red Fox References
Department for Environment and Heritage. (2009). The European Red Fox was introduced to Feral European Rabbit Phytophthora is killing our plants! [PDF file]. Retrieved from: https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/find-a-park/ Australia for recreational purposes in the Browse_by_region/Fleurieu_Peninsula/deep-creek- European rabbits arrived in Australia with the conservation-park mid-1800s. Since being introduced for Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, First Fleet and is now one of the most Population and Communities. (2011). Feral European hunting, they have spread across most of abundant mammals in the country. Not only Rabbit [PDF file]. Canberra, ACT. Retrieved from http:// Australia and have been a contributing www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/ do rabbits cause severe damage to the 7ba1c152-7eba-4dc0-a635-2a2c17bcd794/files/rabbit.pdf cause to the decline of a number of native Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, environment agriculture but they also prevent species. Population and Communities. (2010). European Red Fox regeneration by eating seeds and seedlings. [PDF file]. Canberra, ACT. Retrieved from http:// www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/ The European Rabbit is harder to control as 1910ab1d-a019-4ece-aa98-1085e6848271/files/ common methods may affect other native european-red-fox.pdf Department of the Environment and Energy. (n.d). predators as they feed on feral rabbits. Feral cats. Retrieved from http://www.environment.gov.au/ biodiversity/invasive-species/feral-animals-australia/feral- cats Lucy Engel