Central Land Council could carry out emergency cull of 120 horses, goats and donkeys that are dying in heatwave

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

More then 100 more feral animals could be culled in central Australia because they are dying from thirst in the prolonged extreme heatwave.

Meanwhile, in Western Australia, the ABC has reported that as many as 2,500 camels have been shot in the Goldfields region, as they come in from the Gibson desert to congregate around water sources on remote stations.

The Central Land Council is consulting a remote community about carrying out an emergency cull of 120 horses, goats and donkeys in central Australia because the animals are in such poor health they cannot be mustered or transported.

Extreme heatwave: 45C across South Australia as Tasmanian bushfires rage – live Read more

It follows the publication of shocking images that showed 40 dead horses at the dried up Apwerte Uyerreme waterhole. More than 50 more horses found at the same site had to be killed via an aerial cull last Friday.

Prolonged temperatures above 42C have left the council and its residents concerned about the health of native and feral animals.

“Horses and other feral animals are dying of thirst and hunger because many reliable water sources, such as Apwerte Uyerreme, have dried up in the current heatwave and areas overpopulated by feral animals suffer erosion and vegetation loss,” the council said on Thursday.

Quick guide Heatwaves and climate change in Australia Show Hide According to the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO, Australia has warmed by 1C since 1910, and temperatures will increase in the future. So how will climate change affect future heatwaves in Australia? The CSIRO and BoM have compiled different models for predicting the outcome of climate change in Australia to produce a guide to how different regions will likely be affected. They found that every part of Australia will continue to experience increases in average temperature, and will have a higher frequency of hot days.

The duration of hot spells will increase in every region. In many areas in the northern half of Australia, the average number of days above 35C could increase by two to three times.

Late in the century, towns such as Darwin, Alice Springs and Broome may experience days with temperatures above 35C for about a third of the year. These higher temperatures will also result in higher evaporation, which will continue to make drought conditions worse.

“As horse carcasses foul water holes that native animals depend on, these too die.”

The council was alerted to the latest case of animal suffering in the heat on Monday and is working with traditional owners to obtain permission for an emergency cull.

About 120 animals are watering at a trough near the community, which has not yet been named while the talks are ongoing.

David Ross, the director of the Central Land Council, said it was important to obtain the consent of traditional owners before carrying out the cull.

Shocking pictures show dead horses at dried-up waterhole in central Australia Read more

“However, in emergencies, such as last week in Ltyentye Apurte, we will go ahead without consent if necessary,” he said. “With climate change well and truly upon us, we expect these emergencies to occur with increasing frequency and nobody is truly prepared and resourced to respond to them.”

Ross said to try to manage the situation the council was working with traditional owners to develop management plans for the four large Indigenous protected areas (IPAs) in its region that would allow traditional owners and rangers to reduce the number of feral pests and sell healthy animals where they can find a market for them.

The cases in central Australia are just two that have emerged showing the impact the extreme heat is having on large feral animals.

The ABC has reported that as many as 2,500 camels have been shot in the Goldfields region of WA. Pastoralists say the animals were in very poor condition and have called for an urgent cull.

The WA agriculture minister, Alannah MacTiernan, said the government would discuss the issue with the Goldfields Nullarbor Rangelands Biosecurity Association (GNRBA) on Thursday.

Feral camels are a significant problem in the Goldfields and have been known to destroy windmills in search of water.

According to GNRBA’s large feral herbivore management plan, which covers feral horses, donkeys and camels, more than 25,000 feral camels were culled from unallocated crown land between 2011 and 2013. The association funds regular aerial culls and also provides an ammunition rebate for pastoralists.

MacTiernan said the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development was currently developing a statewide plan for managing large feral herbivores.