Skilled shooters required for conservation
THE Queensland government has given the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia Queensland's Conservation and Wildlife Management program a big tick of approval for their efforts in controlling feral animals.
This issue hits close to home in Warwick, with feral animals responsible for loss of livestock and posing significant costs for the local economy.
SSAA CWM Queensland president Damien Ferguson said the door was open for skilled shooters to join the group.
"We are after good, responsible and ethical self starters,” Mr Ferguson said.
"We're looking for reliable, level-headed, self-reliant, motivated people who can think for themselves but also work well in a group too.”
Mr Ferguson said the efforts of the group have been successful to date in helping to reduce the pest animal impacts.
"Initially we were given three government properties, now we have over 30,” he said.
"Also we started with just two private properties, with that number now up to 30.
"We have a continuous maintenance program to ensure that once feral animal numbers are down, they stay down.”
Shooting isn't the only part of being involved in the program.
Mr Ferguson said that their role also included monitoring and counting endangered animals, reporting habitat loss, and identifying trends and potential issues.
"Being a conservationist and being a shooter are not mutually exclusive,” he said.
"Pest animals do enormous damage to our environment, native animals and livestock, and the work CWM does in keeping them under control is part of the solution.”
For more information on how you can become involved, visit the SSAA CWM Queensland site: http://cwm.ssaaqld.org.au/2013/.