Lethal time for feral doxes
Farming communities are banding together this month to cull foxes and other feral animals across WA.
More than 80 shooters from Wandering culled about 200 foxes in the town's annual fox shoot on Saturday night.
Graeme Peirce and Sandra and Noel Fowler took second prize in the competition, taking out 34 foxes, three feral cats and 16 rabbits.
The first all-female team dubbed "The First Ladies" also joined in the shoot, killing five foxes, eight rabbits and a cat.
The event coincides with the Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes community-based feral animal control program, which aims to reduce the ecologically damaging invasive species.
The co-ordinated program, in its eighth year, has two shooting weekends and baiting programs across WA's agricultural regions before seeding and lambing seasons in autumn and spring.
The next Stockbrands Community Fox Shoot is this weekend.
RCRF co-ordinator Graham Murray said 48 groups had registered for the shoot, covering a vast area from Northampton to Esperance.
"Fox control is far more effective when it's done on a landscape-wide basis because foxes repopulate areas," Mr Murray said.
"So the opportunity to get as many people involved at the same time has a far bigger impact."
Last year more than 4000 foxes and 3500 rabbits were culled at the shooting events. A further 55,000 fox baits and 6000kg of rabbit baits were laid.
WA animal identification manufacturer Stockbrands will donate $5 for every fox or feral cat killed to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Last year this totalled $20,000.
