birding-aus

Maremmas and the pest eradication problem on Macquarie Island.

To: "Dave Torr" <>
Subject: Maremmas and the pest eradication problem on Macquarie Island.
From: "Robyn Charlton" <>
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:18:32 +1100
A lot of research would have to go with that territory. And as much as I
love 'terriers' and they are very good at removing vermin, they can be
single minded and discretion is not one of their strong points on fur or
feathers. Terriers can have very strong hunting instincts. There are other
breeds of Livestock Protection Dogs and even the all rounder - German
Shepherd could be a candidate but again it depends on training, the handler
and the individual temperament of the dog.

My German Shepherd  'cared' for  mice (domestic and wild), guinea pigs,  and
kittens. Showed compassion for dying rats and sick blue tongues lizards.
Showed respected certain cats in the neighbourhood but could ( if the
opportunity accidentally arose)  play chase with others. She certainly
wasn't perfect but her talents were great.

She was trained, loved, socialized and apart of my family. An individual to
the end.

On Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 4:50 PM, Dave Torr <> wrote:

> I would not have thought Maremmas were at all suitable - I understood them
> to guard flocks from potential predators whereas I assume at Macquarie you
> want an active hunter - more of a terrier maybe? So long as it only goes for
> fur and not feathers.
>
> On 21/02/2008, inger vandyke <> wrote:
>
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > I have been reading this thread with some interest.
> >
> > I wonder if many of the concerns here have been taken into consideration
> > for the project on Macquarie Island?
> >
> > The reason for the delay in responding to the rabbit problem, I believe,
> > is while they train suitable dogs to finish off any remaining rabbits after
> > the baiting program is completed.
> >
> > Are they planning on using Maremmas?
> >
> > What then would stop a dog from attacking a nesting albatross
> > (albatrosses are very resolute and will stay on their nest until the dire
> > end before deserting it) or a competing Brown Skua for the same food source.
> >
> > Just a thought....
> >
> > I would love to hear from anyone who is involved in the deployment of
> > dogs on Macquarie to find out whether or not these activities were taken
> > into consideration when making that decision. Cheers Inger Vandyke
> > www.ingervandyke.com > Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:22:19 +1100> From:
> > > To: >
> > Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Maremma dogs and penguins in Warrnambool (SW Vic)
> > - a setback> CC: > > Using Dogs can go wrong.
> > That is why the appropriate training and care is> needed. Any person using
> > any working dog has to do their homework, cross the> T's and dot the I's.
> > Also understanding using the breed used is also> paramount. Understanding
> > dog behaviour is also a wonderful idea. Also even> the best livestock
> > protection dog needs to have a Human Shepherd to oversea> a project. No one
> > is perfect.> > r.> > On Thu, Feb 21, 2008 at 2:35 PM, Michael Tarburton <>
> > > wrote:> > > G'day birding Ausers> >>
> > > Using dogs can go wrong.> >> > While we were living in New Zealand the DOC
> > was capturing the few> > remaining Kakapo (a flightless parrot) on the South
> > Island and> > placing them on a small predator-free island in Cook Strait.>
> > >> > All the birds they had caught bar one were shown to be males. Then> >
> > one of the rangers dogs killed that one and they found out that it> > too
> > was a male!> >> > Luckily a population of Kakapo on another small offshore
> > island was> > found. Problem #2 was that the island was full of cats and
> > the> > parrots were in rapid decline. By then though the NZ DOC was very> >
> > good at getting rid of cats and that island has become a safe haven> > for
> > the endangered parrot.> >> >> >> > Cheers> > Mike> >> >> >> > Michael
> > Tarburton> > Melbourne> > > >
> > ====================================> >> >> >> >> >> > On 20/02/2008, at
> > 2:59 PM,  wrote:> >> > > G'day all> > >> > > late
> > last year there was "an incident" that you can read about here:> > >> > >
> > http://warrnambool.yourguide.com.au/articles/1149668.html?src=search> >
> > >> > >
> > http://warrnambool.yourguide.com.au/articles/1151004.html?src=search> >
> > >> > >
> > http://warrnambool.yourguide.com.au/articles/1158807.html?src=search> >
> > >> > > So, the trial is promising but not without problems.> > >> > > I
> > don't know how things are going lately.> > >> > > Cheers> > > Steve Clark> >
> > > Hamilton, Vic> > >> > > ===============================> > >
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