Latest news with #InvasiveSpeciesCouncil
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Toxic invasive species found hidden in plain sight beside busy Aussie road
Every day, more than 22,000 cars speed past it without a second glance. But just inches from the traffic on a busy Western Sydney street, a fast-spreading 'jumbo weed' is silently smothering native Australian plants. On a median strip at a busy intersection at Hoxton Park, poisonous moth vines have started creeping between shrubs and grasses, and snaking their way up trees. While they may not look particularly threatening to passersby, the plants have toxic sap, leaves and seeds that can be harmful to people and wildlife. Despite the busy location next to Fifteenth Avenue and Cowpasture Road, it's common for weeds to go unnoticed, Dr Carol Booth from the Invasive Species Council told Yahoo News. 'Weeds often grow unnoticed in prominent places. Understandably, many Aussies don't know a weed from a native,' she said. 'Australia has about 23,000 native plant species and more than 3,000 introduced species growing in the wild. That's why it's important that Australia's governments stop allowing the sale of weedy garden plants rather than relying on people to work out for themselves what is safe to plant.' Moth vines produce pods which each carry up to 500 seeds that can remain viable for up to five years. The fruits split open while still attached to the vine and release the seeds, which have a tuft of silky hairs that allow them to spread quickly by wind, water or animal movement. The rapidly-growing weed can grow in the shade, making it easy to weasel its way into forests, orchards and garden beds. Dr Booth said if a resident spots a moth vine growing in their backyard, they can control it with herbicides. 'Young plants can be removed by hand,' she said, adding a reminder to take care to avoid contact with the sap. A Liverpool Council spokesperson said the area where the moth vine was found was actually NSW Government land, but they still encourage residents to report noxious weeds. 'The report will be logged and sent to our maintenance crews for evaluation and action if needed. If like this weed it is not on council maintained land, we will report it to the relevant agency or property owner,' they said. 'Caution is recommended when dealing with moth vine. The plant produces sticky seed pods that can trap and kill small birds and insects. Its milky sap is toxic, causing skin irritation and allergic reactions in humans, and can be harmful to pets. 'If you find moth vine, do not ignore it—report it to your local council or biosecurity authority. If you decide to pull it out, wear gloves and protective eyewear. Make sure the entire root system is pulled out. Dispose it in a sealed bag and never compost it because it regrows and spreads further.' The weeds are currently being treated as a biosecurity issue in some parts of Australia, including Canberra. And in the NSW Riverina region, citrus growers have reported their trees being overtaken by moth vines, leading Griffith City Council to issue a warning for farmers to remain vigilant. Yahoo News has reached out to TfNSW for comment. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Petition to restrict cat owners rejected by Queensland government
The Queensland government has rejected a call to tighten the laws on domestic cat ownership to help protect the environment. The petition, tabled in March by Sunshine Coast resident Tony Magrathea, called for cats to be kept inside or within a cattery outside the home. It called for a limit on how many could be kept in a household, mandatory desexing, and a ban on breeding. It also called for the state government to take over control of domestic cat management from local governments. Mr Magrathea said varying laws across the 77 local government areas had contributed to the feral cat problem. "Some [councils] have limited how many [cats] you can have, some you have to register them, some you have to keep inside and it's pot luck where you live as to what rules you get," he said. The government on Thursday rejected the petition which attracted more than 1,100 signatures. Primary Industries Minister and Gympie MP, Tony Perrett, said local governments were best placed to manage cats. "They understand the unique needs of their community and are responsible for managing cats, including stray and roaming cats, under their local laws," Mr Perrett said. Mr Magrathea said he was disappointed in the state government's response. The Australian Capital Territory has the tightest restrictions across the country with owners required to microchip and desex their cats by four months and have 24/7 pet containment. According to the Invasive Species Council, the average pet cat kills more than a hundred reptiles, birds, and mammals annually. The head of the University of Adelaide's Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group, Phill Cassey, said cats were vivacious killers and one of the top introduced predators of small to medium-sized native animals. "They do roam a lot." He said pet owners consistently underestimated how far their cats were going. "They're travelling many kilometres," he said. Dr Cassey said an overarching authority to manage domestic cats made sense as councils' varying policies offered a piecemeal approach. "We don't want to stop people having cats, they're an incredibly important companion animal, but they need to be kept inside because once they're outside they have a devastating impact on our animals," he said.
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Bounties back in vogue to cull feral goats, cats, pigs
Bounty hunters may be unleashed on feral cats and goats for the first time in years as a state government looks to "novel" ways to deal with pests. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday threw his weight behind bounties, saying the state has to do better to control feral pest populations. It comes after Victoria's fox bounties wiped out more than 80,000 of the species in 2022 after hunters were rewarded between $10 to $14 per scalp. "It's about time we start thinking about novel ways of reducing the feral goat, the feral pig, the feral cat population, which has really taken over a lot of parks," Mr Minns told Triple M Coffs Coast radio. "We should be open to bounties and other things, because we've got a lot of recreational shooters out there that are actually getting rid of a lot of the pests roaming across our native vegetation. "We can be doing far better on it." Nearly $1 billion is also being spent on prevention and protection against biosecurity threats in NSW. Invasive species are the highest impact contributors of extinctions, directly endangering 70 per cent of threatened wildlife and ecosystems in the state. Cats alone have played a major role in 25 mammal extinctions, including the lesser bilby, the Invasive Species Council says. The premier highlighted the success of brumby culls in the Kosciuszko National Park, bringing the population down up to 80 per cent. NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak in January pressed for a $2 million bounty scheme, even backing novel approaches like Florida's famed Python Challenge. The annual 10-day competition - which even spawned a TV comedy, Killing It - draws hundreds of people to the Florida Everglades to exterminate invasive Burmese pythons. Mr Borsak's proposal involves a bounty of $10 or $20 per head being set on feral animals. The CSIRO's most recent best practice advice on pest management however says bounties rarely work. Animal welfare groups oppose the practice while the Invasive Species Council compares it to "jailing the occasional dealer" in a drug epidemic. Bounty hunters may be unleashed on feral cats and goats for the first time in years as a state government looks to "novel" ways to deal with pests. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday threw his weight behind bounties, saying the state has to do better to control feral pest populations. It comes after Victoria's fox bounties wiped out more than 80,000 of the species in 2022 after hunters were rewarded between $10 to $14 per scalp. "It's about time we start thinking about novel ways of reducing the feral goat, the feral pig, the feral cat population, which has really taken over a lot of parks," Mr Minns told Triple M Coffs Coast radio. "We should be open to bounties and other things, because we've got a lot of recreational shooters out there that are actually getting rid of a lot of the pests roaming across our native vegetation. "We can be doing far better on it." Nearly $1 billion is also being spent on prevention and protection against biosecurity threats in NSW. Invasive species are the highest impact contributors of extinctions, directly endangering 70 per cent of threatened wildlife and ecosystems in the state. Cats alone have played a major role in 25 mammal extinctions, including the lesser bilby, the Invasive Species Council says. The premier highlighted the success of brumby culls in the Kosciuszko National Park, bringing the population down up to 80 per cent. NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak in January pressed for a $2 million bounty scheme, even backing novel approaches like Florida's famed Python Challenge. The annual 10-day competition - which even spawned a TV comedy, Killing It - draws hundreds of people to the Florida Everglades to exterminate invasive Burmese pythons. Mr Borsak's proposal involves a bounty of $10 or $20 per head being set on feral animals. The CSIRO's most recent best practice advice on pest management however says bounties rarely work. Animal welfare groups oppose the practice while the Invasive Species Council compares it to "jailing the occasional dealer" in a drug epidemic. Bounty hunters may be unleashed on feral cats and goats for the first time in years as a state government looks to "novel" ways to deal with pests. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday threw his weight behind bounties, saying the state has to do better to control feral pest populations. It comes after Victoria's fox bounties wiped out more than 80,000 of the species in 2022 after hunters were rewarded between $10 to $14 per scalp. "It's about time we start thinking about novel ways of reducing the feral goat, the feral pig, the feral cat population, which has really taken over a lot of parks," Mr Minns told Triple M Coffs Coast radio. "We should be open to bounties and other things, because we've got a lot of recreational shooters out there that are actually getting rid of a lot of the pests roaming across our native vegetation. "We can be doing far better on it." Nearly $1 billion is also being spent on prevention and protection against biosecurity threats in NSW. Invasive species are the highest impact contributors of extinctions, directly endangering 70 per cent of threatened wildlife and ecosystems in the state. Cats alone have played a major role in 25 mammal extinctions, including the lesser bilby, the Invasive Species Council says. The premier highlighted the success of brumby culls in the Kosciuszko National Park, bringing the population down up to 80 per cent. NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak in January pressed for a $2 million bounty scheme, even backing novel approaches like Florida's famed Python Challenge. The annual 10-day competition - which even spawned a TV comedy, Killing It - draws hundreds of people to the Florida Everglades to exterminate invasive Burmese pythons. Mr Borsak's proposal involves a bounty of $10 or $20 per head being set on feral animals. The CSIRO's most recent best practice advice on pest management however says bounties rarely work. Animal welfare groups oppose the practice while the Invasive Species Council compares it to "jailing the occasional dealer" in a drug epidemic. Bounty hunters may be unleashed on feral cats and goats for the first time in years as a state government looks to "novel" ways to deal with pests. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday threw his weight behind bounties, saying the state has to do better to control feral pest populations. It comes after Victoria's fox bounties wiped out more than 80,000 of the species in 2022 after hunters were rewarded between $10 to $14 per scalp. "It's about time we start thinking about novel ways of reducing the feral goat, the feral pig, the feral cat population, which has really taken over a lot of parks," Mr Minns told Triple M Coffs Coast radio. "We should be open to bounties and other things, because we've got a lot of recreational shooters out there that are actually getting rid of a lot of the pests roaming across our native vegetation. "We can be doing far better on it." Nearly $1 billion is also being spent on prevention and protection against biosecurity threats in NSW. Invasive species are the highest impact contributors of extinctions, directly endangering 70 per cent of threatened wildlife and ecosystems in the state. Cats alone have played a major role in 25 mammal extinctions, including the lesser bilby, the Invasive Species Council says. The premier highlighted the success of brumby culls in the Kosciuszko National Park, bringing the population down up to 80 per cent. NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak in January pressed for a $2 million bounty scheme, even backing novel approaches like Florida's famed Python Challenge. The annual 10-day competition - which even spawned a TV comedy, Killing It - draws hundreds of people to the Florida Everglades to exterminate invasive Burmese pythons. Mr Borsak's proposal involves a bounty of $10 or $20 per head being set on feral animals. The CSIRO's most recent best practice advice on pest management however says bounties rarely work. Animal welfare groups oppose the practice while the Invasive Species Council compares it to "jailing the occasional dealer" in a drug epidemic.
West Australian
27-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Bounties back in vogue to cull feral goats, cats, pigs
Bounty hunters may be unleashed on feral cats and goats for the first time in years as a state government looks to "novel" ways to deal with pests. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday threw his weight behind bounties, saying the state has to do better to control feral pest populations. It comes after Victoria's fox bounties wiped out more than 80,000 of the species in 2022 after hunters were rewarded between $10 to $14 per scalp. "It's about time we start thinking about novel ways of reducing the feral goat, the feral pig, the feral cat population, which has really taken over a lot of parks," Mr Minns told Triple M Coffs Coast radio. "We should be open to bounties and other things, because we've got a lot of recreational shooters out there that are actually getting rid of a lot of the pests roaming across our native vegetation. "We can be doing far better on it." Nearly $1 billion is also being spent on prevention and protection against biosecurity threats in NSW. Invasive species are the highest impact contributors of extinctions, directly endangering 70 per cent of threatened wildlife and ecosystems in the state. Cats alone have played a major role in 25 mammal extinctions, including the lesser bilby, the Invasive Species Council says. The premier highlighted the success of brumby culls in the Kosciuszko National Park, bringing the population down up to 80 per cent. NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak in January pressed for a $2 million bounty scheme, even backing novel approaches like Florida's famed Python Challenge. The annual 10-day competition - which even spawned a TV comedy, Killing It - draws hundreds of people to the Florida Everglades to exterminate invasive Burmese pythons. Mr Borsak's proposal involves a bounty of $10 or $20 per head being set on feral animals. The CSIRO's most recent best practice advice on pest management however says bounties rarely work. Animal welfare groups oppose the practice while the Invasive Species Council compares it to "jailing the occasional dealer" in a drug epidemic.
Perth Now
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Bounties back in vogue to cull feral goats, cats, pigs
Bounty hunters may be unleashed on feral cats and goats for the first time in years as a state government looks to "novel" ways to deal with pests. NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday threw his weight behind bounties, saying the state has to do better to control feral pest populations. It comes after Victoria's fox bounties wiped out more than 80,000 of the species in 2022 after hunters were rewarded between $10 to $14 per scalp. "It's about time we start thinking about novel ways of reducing the feral goat, the feral pig, the feral cat population, which has really taken over a lot of parks," Mr Minns told Triple M Coffs Coast radio. "We should be open to bounties and other things, because we've got a lot of recreational shooters out there that are actually getting rid of a lot of the pests roaming across our native vegetation. "We can be doing far better on it." Nearly $1 billion is also being spent on prevention and protection against biosecurity threats in NSW. Invasive species are the highest impact contributors of extinctions, directly endangering 70 per cent of threatened wildlife and ecosystems in the state. Cats alone have played a major role in 25 mammal extinctions, including the lesser bilby, the Invasive Species Council says. The premier highlighted the success of brumby culls in the Kosciuszko National Park, bringing the population down up to 80 per cent. NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party leader Robert Borsak in January pressed for a $2 million bounty scheme, even backing novel approaches like Florida's famed Python Challenge. The annual 10-day competition - which even spawned a TV comedy, Killing It - draws hundreds of people to the Florida Everglades to exterminate invasive Burmese pythons. Mr Borsak's proposal involves a bounty of $10 or $20 per head being set on feral animals. The CSIRO's most recent best practice advice on pest management however says bounties rarely work. Animal welfare groups oppose the practice while the Invasive Species Council compares it to "jailing the occasional dealer" in a drug epidemic.
