Residents join feral animal shoot

Hundreds of feral animals were removed from the Esperance wilderness at the weekend, but anecdotal evidence indicates foxes are still running rampant in the region.

The Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes cull was again a major success in Esperance this year, with the total number of feral pests killed far exceeding last year's efforts.

With a second cull scheduled for next month, the Royal Flying Doctor Service looks set to receive a significant financial boost through donations for each pest killed.

A total of 500 foxes were recorded in the official count, more than double the amount shot in 2014.

The participants also shot 25 feral cats, nine more than in the previous two years.

A total of 216 rabbits was recorded in the final count, a slightly lower count than in recent years.

There was strong participation by the Esperance community in this year's cull, with 63 people joining the rural shoot across 17 teams.

Esperance RCRF co-ordinator Andrew Heinrich said participants reported seeing many more foxes than the final count suggested, but many of the pests had escaped.

"We are not making (as much of) a dent on the numbers of foxes in the environment as the number would indicate, but the important thing is that we are contributing to control numbers and reducing the influence they have on stock and native fauna," he said.

"All the research that I have seen shows that foxes and feral cats are killing machines that destroy our native fauna, so the more we can control the better."

Greg Hard from Esperance Rural Supplies is donating $5 to the RFDS for every animal shot, while Anthony Miller from Cliffs Natural Resources is sponsoring the local shoot- ers.

The second cull will be held from March 20-22.