Western Australia puts $100 bounty on wild dogs

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/24/western-australia-bounty-wild-dogs

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Pastoralists are being offered $100 for each wild dog scalp they claim under a bounty scheme being trialled in Western Australia to reduce attacks on sheep and cattle.

The state's agriculture and food minister, Ken Baston, said the $75,000 programme would target an 88,000 sq km region encompassing more than 50 stations in the Murchison region.

DNA samples will be collected and examined to improve knowledge about WA's wild dogs.

Baston said $50,000 had been allocated to pay the bounty, with the rest covering administration, monitoring and a review of the trial's performance.

"This is an important initiative to protect livestock in this area, where wild dogs have reached unprecedented levels," he said.

"They not only kill and mutilate sheep, but are growing bold enough to take on young cattle. The damage done to livestock by wild dogs is absolutely horrific."

Only pastoralists will be allowed to claim bounty payments, but they can give permission to external parties to kill wild dogs on their properties and pay them privately.

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