Management, policy and tools

Ensuring animal welfare is a top concern in managing pests. All control activities follow best practices for humane control, and aim to minimise their impact.

The ACT Parks and Conservation Service works with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to manage issues in the Australian Alps National Parks.

The ACT Pest Animal Management Strategy [PDF 3.2 MB] guides how we handle pest animals to reduce their impact.

Feral horses are managed according to the Namadgi National Park Feral Horse Management Plan.

Thermal aerial control

Thermal aerial control uses heat detection to locate animals from helicopters. It's a cost effective and humane way to control invasive animals, especially large herbivores.

The ACT Thermal assisted aerial control program helps prevent damage from feral deer, feral pigs, and feral horses. It helps in areas recovering from fires such as riparian vegetation and alpine bogs.

During operations, public areas are closed for safety. We take precautions like buffer zones, signs and sweeping areas before operations occur.

Ground shooting

Ground shooting is useful when combined as part of an integrated pest management program. It's not a good way to solely control pests.

Using thermal technology makes ground shooting more effective and efficient. It's been used successfully to manage rabbit and deer populations in the ACT.

Namadgi National Park feral pig control program

For over 30 years, the team at Namadgi National Park has used baiting and trapping to control feral pigs. When the program started, it led to a big drop in the pig population. Now, every year, they work hard to keep the number of pigs low in the park. This ground control program works alongside thermal aerial control as part of a combined management plan.