Dogs a guardian angel for herds

WILD dogs are known to have some predatory impact on all livestock industries across Queensland and present some unique problems in the more closely-developed regions like the Fraser Coast.
 

Linda van Bommel, a researcher working for the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre says the goat industry is far more accepting of the role of livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) in protecting stock than other industries.
 

“When people first get into goats they usually buy LGDs or other livestock guardian animals – it is just part of running a goat business,” says Ms van Bommel said.
 

LGD are believed to work by establishing and maintaining a territory.
 

Finding out how guardian dogs interact with wild dogs was the objective of a research study on Ninian and Ann Stewart-Moore’s property, Dunluce near Hughenden.
 

Biosecurity Queensland researchers collared maremmas and dingoes from adjacent land to determine how the maremma operate and how large an area they were able to defend.
 

This study has revealed an interesting behavioural twist.
 

The maremmas were shown to prevent wild dog attacks by staying close to the sheep, yet still allowing wild dogs to roam inside sheep paddocks.
 

Biosecurity Queensland senior zoologist Dr Lee Allen said maremmas stayed close to the sheep as a protector rather than patrolling the boundary of the paddock and aggressively chasing off intruders.
 

“Although wild dogs frequently entered sheep paddocks, no sheep were attacked or killed on the study property and the sheep appeared to be generally quiet and calm while under the protection of the maremmas,” he said.
 

The Stewart-Moores run 12,000 sheep and 5000 cattle on ‘Dunluce’, a 46,500 hectare property on the Flinders River, west of Hughenden in north Queensland.
 

“We are one of only a few left in the sheep industry here,” says Mr Stewart-Moore said..
 

“In 2002 losses to wild dogs were costing us around $30,000 a year; we decided to invest in 24 maremmas, costing us around $20,000 in total set-up costs, as a last resort to stay in the sheep industry,” he said.
 

Another benefit of having the maremmas on ‘Dunluce’ has been the reduction in kangaroo numbers.
 

While the dogs do not hunt the kangaroos, the roos simply avoid the dogs and so more grass is available for the sheep and cattle.
 

Mr Stewart-Moore estimates the reduction in roo numbers to be as high as 90% percent compared to the years prior to introducing the maremmas.
 

Since incorporating the maremmas into their management system the Stewart-Moores have seen the losses to wild dogs drop to almost nil while there are still plenty of dogs in the area.
 

More recently they have begun using maremmas with a mob of 350 heifers.
 

Fraser Coast Regional Council pest management plan aims to encourage the adoption of best management practice for guardian animals such as maremmas.
 

Livestock owners interested in employing the services of LGDs can learn more about introducing them to their property and their management from a new publication Guardian Dogs: Best practice Manual for the use of

Livestock Guardian Dogs by Linda van Bommel (www.invasiveanimals. com).

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