9,500 feral pigs killed to protect sea turtles
South Australia’s government enlisted two sharpshooters to control the crisis on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, where feral pigs are decimating sea turtle numbers.
The remote Cape York beaches are the nesting place for about five species of turtle some of which are endangered. And there have been reports that in some rookeries every nest of eggs has been eaten by feral pigs.
According to the Courier-Mail, the two helicopter-mounted marksmen killed 9,500 feral pigs in just six weeks.
The shoot, the biggest ever State Government shoot-out of feral animals, was organised between the DNR, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Injinoo and Mapoon Aboriginal communities with sharpshooters from the Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Program.
Community members are now assessing turtle hatchling numbers to determine how well the shoot worked.
According to the Courier-Mail, the two helicopter-mounted marksmen killed 9,500 feral pigs in just six weeks.
The shoot, the biggest ever State Government shoot-out of feral animals, was organised between the DNR, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Injinoo and Mapoon Aboriginal communities with sharpshooters from the Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Program.
Community members are now assessing turtle hatchling numbers to determine how well the shoot worked.
