Observations on the effectiveness of shooting feral pigs from helicopters.

Abstract

The use of helicopters for the shooting of feral pigs in western New South Wales has become increasingly popular and widespread. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this practice in terms of population reduction, rate of population recovery and cost. The study site was an area of 120 km*2 on the southern edge of the Macquarie Marshes. Estimated population reductions, calculated by the index-removal method, over two consecutive years were 80 and 65%. The associated rate of increase (r) in the 12 months following the first population reduction was 1.34, which is equivalent to a recovery of 77% in numbers. Results and levels of control inputs were collated for an additional consecutive year and compared with other studies. Management implications from this study are also considered.