Notice of Fox Poisoning Program Using Foxoff® Baits

To Whom It May Concern:

As part of the 2003 Fire Recovery Program a fox control program is being conducted to protect the endangered Mountain Pygmy-possum. The program, which is expected to run over a number of years, is being conducted by Parks Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and the Mount Hotham and Falls Creek Alpine Resorts.

The aim of this program is to control foxes by the use of Foxoff^® poison baits. Poison baits will be laid every month in the Mt Hotham Resort Management area and the Alpine National Park surrounding Mt Hotham, excluding areas immediately adjacent to Dinner Plain. 

The poison to be used is Compound 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) impregnated into Foxoff^® baits which will be buried to a depth of at least 10cm in soil mounds or snow (depending on the season). 

The next poison baiting period will be held from the 5^th October 2005 to the 1st June 2006.

The use of Foxoff^® will comply with all regulatory requirements, including label conditions and directions for the use of Foxoff^® in Victoria. When used in accordance with the directions the chances of non-target animal deaths from the use of Foxoff^® are reduced but there is still some associated risk. By being aware of the dangers you are able to help manage the risks. To minimise the risk of poisoning to your animals you are advised:

• Dogs are not permitted in the Alpine National Park.
• Owners of pets within the Mt Hotham Resort Management Area are required to have a permit and pets should be under effective control and kept away from treatment areas. 
• 1080 may remain active in poisoned animals and/or baits for several weeks dependent on prevailing environmental conditions. Over time, 1080 is leached from Foxoff^® by rain and degraded by bacteria and moulds.
• Foxes may sometimes carry Foxoff^® baits to a different location and cache them. These baits are still poisonous.
• Your animals may be poisoned if they eat Foxoff^® or carcasses of poisoned animals. It is unusual for domestic pets to ravage fox carcasses.
• Closely monitor the health and behaviour of your domestic pets. If you notice any unusual or uncharacteristic behaviour contact your local veterinarian immediately.
• Do not disturb sand mounds or bait stations.

The program is being run according to Fox Adaptive Experimental Management (AEM) standards which involves both a poisoned treatment area focused around Mt Hotham and a non-poisoned experimental control area focused around Falls Creek.  Monitoring sites will also be established near Dinner Plain but these will not involve a poisoning treatment. This approach enables the impacts of foxes on Mountain Pygmy-possum populations to be determined and to evaluate the effectiveness of fox control measures. Ongoing Mountain Pygmy-possum surveys will be conducted to monitor the effectiveness of the fox control program.

For more information, please contact Dannica Shaw at the Parks Victoria Mt Beauty office on 5754 4693.

Feral Predator Control Flyer 2005-06 (37 KB)