Foxes are one of the country’s most devastating invasive species, contributing to the extinction of numerous native animals and leaving many others teetering on the brink.
They’re found virtually everywhere in Australia, and are difficult to fight back against due to their intelligence, formidable hunting skills and the fact that they have no natural predators here.
In Western Australia, their impact is widespread. Conservationists have pleaded with governments for stronger action, especially in parts of Perth where foxes repeatedly make off with vulnerable wildlife. Turtles, in particular, have remained a target, with population numbers steadily declining in the city.
Now, three major councils across Perth’s south — Cockburn, Melville and Kwinana — have rolled out new cameras in a bid to track fox hotspots, ensuring authorities can accurately pinpoint efforts to control the pests. The data gathered will assist in management actions.
To ensure security and avoid tampering with the equipment, the precise camera locations will not be disclosed publicly. They will stay in position for approximately three years, sending images through 4G connectivity to an online platform for processing.
Foxes are becoming more common in Perth, conservationists warn. Source: ABC
City of Kwinana Mayor Peter Feasey said the cameras have now been installed and are actively monitoring their presence. “Six cameras have been deployed for the fox monitoring regional project, which is a partnership between the City, Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions and the Perth South West Metropolitan Alliance,” he told Yahoo News.
“The cameras are put up in Natural Area Reserves and Regional Parks where we know foxes frequent. We should be able to see fox activity across the region, informing how successful our regional fox control efforts are”.
Feasey said the cameras will enable daily reports on fox sightings so control can be implemented at a suitable frequency and time of year, and monitor the return of native fauna.
Volunteers said 360 turtles were found dead at the Beeliar Wetlands in Perth in the 18 months up until March. Source: Walliabup Wildlife Warriors
Perth’s worsening problem with foxes
Foxes were introduced to Australia in the 1860s by Europeans for recreational hunting. But since then, their numbers have exploded exponentially across the country, largely due to a lack of natural predators and an abundance of prey.
Their introduction has significantly contributed to the decline and extinction of several native species, particularly small mammals like the bilby, numbat and bettong. But at the Beeliar Wetlands, in the City of Cockburn, wildlife volunteers say foxes are also devastating the local southwestern snake-necked turtle population, which is listed as “near-threatened” in the state.
Speaking to Yahoo News in March, Felicity, secretary at Walliabup Wildlife Warriors — a division of the Wetlands Conservation Society — said foxes killed 300 turtles across the Bibra, Yangebup and Little Rush lakes at the Beeliar Wetlands in a year, with more than 360 found dead in 18 months.
She said to make matters worse, often the foxes aren’t even eating the turtles, but instead decapitating them and leaving their carcasses around the grounds. A former vet, Felicity thinks this may be because foxes aren’t evolved to consume them. While they may instinctually hunt turtles, they soon realise they’re not an adequate food source, she said.
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