How Australian Farmers Deal with donkeys
How Australian Farmers Deal with donkeys
Category
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AnimalsTranscript
00:00Australia is a big island with so many unique native animal species, however very few people
00:09are aware that many wars are happening here to save over 1700 of them on the brink of
00:15extinction.
00:17But the country never won, even after 150 years of fighting against some of the most
00:23seemingly harmless animals like donkeys and rabbits with a variety of controversial weapons,
00:30even canning their meat.
00:33So how did the humble donkeys come to Australia in the first place?
00:43Donkeys were first brought to Australia in 1866 to help out.
00:48Back then, horses used for carrying supplies kept getting sick in the hot and dry outback.
00:55Donkeys on the other hand were tough with their much stronger digestive system, so they
01:01became the new helpers for people travelling through areas like Western Australia, Central
01:07Australia and the Top End.
01:10In the late 1800s, keeping animals fenced in wasn't a common practice in Outback Australia.
01:18The land was enormous and there weren't many materials to build fences anyway.
01:24This meant animals sometimes escaped or worse, were let loose when they weren't useful anymore,
01:30which happened a lot with donkeys.
01:34They can survive in many places, eat almost anything and have a baby every year, unlike
01:40horses who only reproduce every other year.
01:45With all this freedom, the number of feral donkeys kept growing unmanaged for many years
01:51and became feral animals.
01:54By the early 1900s, cars and trucks took over donkeys' jobs.
01:59Soon after, in the 1920s, people started noticing groups of feral donkeys.
02:06And just 30 years later, their population was so large that Australia officially considered
02:12them a pest in Western Australia.
02:16Currently we don't know for sure how many feral donkeys live in Australia.
02:23Some guesses say there are 5 million, but counting them all would be very hard and expensive.
02:30But here's the problem, if we don't control these donkey numbers, they'll keep growing
02:35by about 20% each year.
02:38That means in just 5 years, there could be more than 10 million feral donkeys in Australia,
02:44causing even more issues.
02:47But they can't do all the damage alone without teaming up with its distant relatives, who
02:52also aren't native to Australia.
02:56Together they tear away soil and contaminate waterways, spread unwanted seeds and ruin
03:03native plants and infrastructure.
03:06This was what this place looked like before they came, but now you can't see the bottom.
03:13These animals also damage livestock farms.
03:17They bring in new diseases that can cross species barriers and harm domesticated animals,
03:23such as equine influenza, African horse sickness and tick fever.
03:29They like areas with pasture and bushes, which are the same places sheep and cattle farmers
03:35need for their animals.
03:38Once they've eaten everything in one spot, they can travel far, up to 31 miles without
03:43water to find more food.
03:47This can quickly damage areas near water sources, which are especially important during droughts
03:53when many native animals and plants rely on them to survive.
03:59Without these safe havens, native plants and animals might disappear from those areas in
04:05entirely.
04:06However, it's important to know that many donkeys and horses in Northern Territory are
04:12starving because there simply isn't enough food and water for everyone in that dry area.
04:20In some cases, putting these animals down might actually be a kindness to stop their
04:25suffering.
04:29Many people, including news reporters, mix up feral animals and invasive species.
04:35Here's the difference.
04:37Feral animals, though, are called wild, but they used to be pets or farm animals.
04:44Invasive species, on the other hand, are wild animals that didn't belong in a place originally,
04:50and they can cause problems.
04:53For instance, in Australia, some wild horses and donkeys actually came from farms.
05:00Now people are catching these animals and training them to help out on farms again,
05:06like protecting sheep and goats.
05:10In big open spaces, specially trained shooters can quickly cull them from helicopters, as
05:16with feral hogs, to minimize animal stress.
05:20Sometimes farmers also use tame horses, motorcycles, or even helicopters to chase them into a fenced
05:27area.
05:30These animals are also sometimes caught for commercial sale to foreign meat markets.
05:36Donkeyhide collagen is in high demand in China, and donkey meat is a staple ingredient in
05:42some French and Italian salamis.
05:46But no matter how popular horses and donkey meat are in other countries, it is a big no
05:52from Australians for several reasons.
05:56Australia has a well-developed livestock industry, producing beef, lamb, and pork, which are
06:02more familiar and readily available to consumers.
06:07You know, these calm and friendly animals have been helping Australians for centuries,
06:12way before cars were invented.
06:15So to most Australian farmers, they are like good old friends, and it just feels wrong
06:21and cannibalistic to eat them.
06:24Establishing this exotic meat industry would be expensive, and take a lot of work to get
06:30people interested in it.
06:37Shortly after the donkeys arrived, an Englishman named Thomas Austin decided to import 24 rabbits
06:44for a sporting Christmas hunt with his friends.
06:48Perhaps their skills weren't that good, some rabbits got lost in the huge area around Thomas's
06:54farm in Barwon Park, where they don't have to worry about predators, food and water much.
07:02And unlike their European homeland, the mild winters in Australia were such an ideal paradise
07:08for them to breed all year round.
07:12Fast forward just 7 years, and those 24 rabbits had exploded into millions.
07:19By the 1920s, less than 70 years after their introduction, there were an estimated 10 billion
07:25rabbits in Australia.
07:28These fluffy invaders dug massive networks of tunnels called warrens, wrecking the land.
07:35Their constant munching made them the prime suspect of rapid species loss here.
07:41They either ate everything in sight, or competed with smaller creatures when food was scarce,
07:47pushing some to extinction.
07:51The government desperately tried to build giant fences, stretching over 2,100 miles,
07:57to stop the rabbit spread.
08:00People also started trapping and killing rabbits in large numbers.
08:05For some farmers, this became a way to earn money and pay off debts.
08:11But these methods couldn't keep up with the rabbit's incredible reproduction rate.
08:16The solution finally came in 1950 with a special virus called myxomatosis.
08:23This nasty virus was like rabbit smallpox, making them sick and eventually killing them.
08:30It worked wonders, wiping out over 90% of the rabbit population at the time.
08:37However, rabbits quickly developed resistance to this virus, so scientists had to come up
08:43with a new weapon, the RHDV virus.
08:47This one was even more brutal, causing rabbits to basically explode internally within days.
08:55Even today, new versions of this virus are used to control the rabbit population.
09:01Thankfully, it's brought the numbers down from billions to around 200 million.
09:08But despite the decrease, rabbits can still be found in 70% of Australia's landmass.
09:16Even though they're considered pests, rabbits actually became a source of food for Australians
09:21during tough times like the depressions of the 1890s and 1930s and even wartime.
09:30People fed them to dogs and even started a rabbit meat industry.
09:35It was a bustling venture in Kingston for both domestic and foreign markets, processing
09:41at least 3,000 rabbits a day and making a significant contribution to the Australian
09:46economy.
09:48It continued into the 1960s because chicken was still a rare commodity on the dinner table
09:55until the rabbit plague used to control rabbit numbers flipped it upside down.
10:02Now after more than 60 years, Australians have many more meat options, and with the
10:07fear of the virus lingering, rabbit meat is no longer a popular choice.
10:13Additionally, many pro-animal organisations have also raised many questions regarding
10:19the humane side of things, making people think twice about eating any kind of meat.
10:32Hello my friends, dawn arrives on the Australian agricultural landscape and farmers start their
10:38day by observing foxes around the farm.
10:42There was no speed, brutality and bloodiness like the battles on the steppe, but here exists
10:48a war that will surprise you.
10:50Now we find out how Australian farmers are dealing with thousands of invasive foxes.
11:00In some rural areas in Australia, foxes are the main characters in farmer stories when
11:06it comes to destructive and dangerous animals.
11:10They are not only common predators, but also a serious threat to agriculture.
11:16Foxes are solitary animals, opportunistic hunters and specialise in capturing live prey.
11:23They use pincer-like claws and are skilled at grabbing prey with precision, combined
11:28with sharp teeth ready to tear anything apart.
11:32Therefore foxes have the ability to kill their prey very quickly.
11:38The space is peaceful and quiet with no signs of danger.
11:42But in just a few short minutes, foxes can invade the farm and attack your livestock.
11:49Farms near forests or wild areas are places where foxes often appear to attack.
11:55The chickens lay motionless on the ground with patchy bite marks.
11:59Something terrible happened last night.
12:02The farmers knew for sure that the person causing this chaos was none other than the
12:06fox, because they've been lurking here for a few nights.
12:11Foxes are not only a danger to pets, but also a challenge to social security.
12:16They invade residential areas and consider this as their territory.
12:21Instead of wandering through the forest, foxes now appear on the streets, even entering people's
12:27houses like this.
12:29It wouldn't be worth mentioning if they didn't attack people in the area.
12:33This was a brutal attack and everything was chaotic.
12:37This woman faced the fox's aggression.
12:40You can see she tried to get away from it, but it didn't seem to want to let go.
12:45Fortunately she survived, but the physical and psychological consequences still follow
12:51her every day.
12:52It is a feeling of fear and pain.
12:59The use of traps to control fox populations is an important measure for Australian agriculture.
13:07Traps like this are not only highly effective, but also simple, easy to use, and especially
13:13can be reused many times to implement the strategy.
13:18There are many types of traps depending on the size and weight of the fox.
13:22First of all, farmers will carefully prepare tools, traps, ropes and bait.
13:28The process of setting traps is simple but requires strategy and caution.
13:34Farmers need to choose appropriate trap locations to maximize the ability to catch foxes.
13:40Usually it is on routes frequented by foxes.
13:45By setting traps two to three times per week, Australian farmers have achieved significant
13:50results in controlling fox populations.
13:54According to an Australian government study, fox numbers have decreased by about 30% in
14:00the past five years, mainly thanks to the implementation of trapping.
14:05Therefore it can be said that up to now, traps are a smart solution, because it not only
14:10controls the number of foxes, but also effectively protects the agricultural environment.
14:17However, the process of destroying this invasive fox species also requires attention and compliance
14:24with certain principles during the trapping process.
14:28Farmers must check the trap regularly to ensure it is working properly and is not causing
14:33injury to humans or other animals.
14:37Besides trapping, hunting is also a popular method among Australian farmers, the opening
14:43shots in the battle to protect crops.
14:47For farmers, fox hunting is not only a recreational activity, but also an important means of
14:54controlling fox populations, especially in areas such as agricultural areas in New South
15:00Wales and Victoria, where foxes often destroy farms.
15:09There is no denying that foxes are part of the Australian ecosystem.
15:14But if left unchecked, a sudden increase in fox numbers could pose a major threat to the
15:20food chain because of reduced livestock numbers.
15:24At the same time, it will affect the food source for other predators.
15:28A sudden increase in fox populations can create great pressure on the local environment, affecting
15:35ecological balance and the biosphere.
15:39Large numbers of foxes can create challenges for wildlife management agencies, especially
15:45when it comes to implementing control measures to protect farmers and the environment.
15:50These harmful effects together create a major challenge for Australian farmers, requiring
15:56them to apply innovative and effective fox control measures.
16:01In the field behind the pile of hay, the farmer was waiting.
16:05The shot killed the fox quickly.
16:08This is the result after about an hour.
16:11Compared to setting traps and having to wait passively, many farmers prefer to choose to
16:17hunt because they can actively follow the fox's tracks, even find their dens.
16:23And you see, this choice is reasonable because this way farmers can process larger quantities
16:30quickly.
16:31You know, foxes are omnivores.
16:34They can eat all your livestock and crops.
16:37This diversity of food sources has posed a huge challenge to efforts to prevent fox overgrowth.
16:43They are capable of hunting a variety of prey, from mice, rabbits to birds.
16:49This also increases the difficulty of control.
16:53If given the opportunity, foxes will try their luck with adult sheep and even adult cows.
16:59In fact, a study in Wales also found that sheep are an important food source for foxes
17:05during the summer.
17:07Therefore, Australian sheep farmers are always looking for ways to eliminate foxes around
17:12their grazing areas.
17:14Especially during the sheep breeding period, farmers will organize hunting to protect their
17:19farms.
17:22The car was approaching the edge of the forest, where foxes often appeared.
17:28Hunters holding their hunting equipment in their hands.
17:31A dramatic night hunt begins.
17:34They walk toward the fence around the farm and fields.
17:37He is imitating fox cries to lure them to this area.
17:42After efforts to entice, a fox appeared.
17:45This method is really effective for night hunting trips.
17:49When hunting in forests and wild areas, hunters need to be able to move flexibly in diverse
17:55environments.
17:56They must be really healthy to carry guns everywhere where foxes often go.
18:01They had to stalk and hide for hours until they killed the fox.
18:06Only when night comes, the fox's eyesight decreases, so they don't have to hide.
18:11But you see, night hunting is not easy either.
18:15Their efforts yielded surprising results.
18:18This is how many foxes they killed in one night.
18:22With every step taken at night, Australian farmers are facing the risk of great economic
18:27and psychological loss.
18:30Fox attacks not only mean the loss of hundreds, even thousands of livestock for farmers, but
18:36they also carry with them concerns about personal safety and the stability of rural
18:41communities.
18:43But you can see, faced with a great challenge, farmers in Australia do not hesitate.
18:49They have created unique strategies to protect their fields.
18:58A farmer's long day begins with careful observation.
19:01A base used to hunt foxes was placed on top of the container.
19:05He was climbing up there and looking into the distance.
19:09Farmers do not want to miss any movement in the fields.
19:12They must recognize the first signs of the appearance of foxes.
19:16Before this invasive species disappears, this battle will continue every day.