The Nationals Member for Lowan Hugh Delahunty said today that foxes and wild dogs now have a price on their head.
“The Victorian Coalition Government’s fox and wild dog bounty started on Saturday 1st October and the $4 million bounty would be open statewide over the next four years,” Mr Delahunty said.
Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said the Victorian Coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to reinstate a true and proper fox and wild dog bounty.
“The bounty will reward Victorian farmers and hunters with $10 for each fox and $50 for each wild dog that is killed from 1 October.”
Hunters will need to submit an entire fox scalp, including both ears and the skin surrounding the eyes and the nose in an air-dried, fresh or frozen condition to collect the reward.
To collect the reward on wild dogs, a single piece of skin including the skin and fur running from the snout, including the ears, along the animal’s back and the tail is required.
“There are 21 collection points across regional Victoria for fox scalps and eight collection centres for wild dogs with collections to start from 17th October,” Mr Delahunty said.
Collection centres in the Lowan electorate are located at:
HAMILTON - DPI CENTRE, MOUNT NAPIER ROAD – 1.30 – 3.30 PM
19 OCTOBER; 16 NOVEMBER; 14 DECEMBER
HORSHAM – RMB 5384 NORADJUHA ROAD – 1.30 – 3.30 PM
26 OCTOBER; 23 NOVEMBER; 21 DECEMBER
RAINBOW (WILD DOG COLLECTIONS ONLY – TAVERNER STREET – 9 – 11 AM
(MUST BOOK IN PRIOR TO DAY OF COLLECTION)
Specialist DPI staff will visit each location monthly in order to collect the skins and pay the bounty.
Any Victorian can collect the fox bounty, however only landholders in designated wild dog control areas and financial members of the Sporting Shooters Association Victoria, Field and Game Australia and the Australian Deer Association will be eligible for the wild dog bounty.
“The reinstatement of the fox and wild dog bounty will give community groups, landholders and shooting organisations an active role in controlling Victoria’s fox problem.
“The bounty is a long-term, year-round commitment to pest control. The Victorian Coalition Government is committed to ensuring fox and wild dog control is not funded on a temporary, ad-hoc basis,” Mr Delahunty said.
“The fox and wild dog bounty replaces Labor’s ineffective FoxStop program which saw just 17,146 foxes submitted over three years, compared with 198,000 foxes killed when the fox bounty was last trialled in 2003.
“The Coalition is delivering for regional Victoria by reintroducing the fox bounty program eight years after it was scrapped by the previous government,” Mr Delahunty said.
Full details of the Victorian Fox and Wild Dog Bounty, including terms and conditions and monthly collection times, are available at www.dpi.vic.gov.au/bounty or by contacting the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.
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