Kangaroo Island turns up the heat on feral pigs with a high-tech eradication program

After more than two centuries on Kangaroo Island, feral pigs are in the firing line from all directions.

Key points:

A three-year eradication program has been launched on Kangaroo Island to cull feral pigs

It includes both thermal imaging cameras for aerial culls, and baiting stations using a recently released poison

Coordinators say last year's bushfires lowered pig numbers and left open land, creating a "short window" for eradication

An extensive high-tech aerial cull starts this week, as part of a plan to wipe out the destructive pest, which was introduced by French explorers.

The ambitious three-year eradication program, funded by the South Australian and federal governments, was launched after last year's devastating bushfires.

"Before the fires, there was an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 pigs affecting farmers, conservation, the parks, everyone here on the island," said Matt Korcz, who is coordinating the eradication program.

"We expect that to be much smaller, somewhere between 500 to 1,000 pigs, giving us this amazing opportunity to get rid of the pigs once and for all."

Matt Korcz believes now is the time to eradicate feral pigs on Kangaroo Island.(

ABC Landline: Kerry Staight

)Thermal imaging a big advantage

Earlier this year, the island became the first place in Australia to use thermal imaging cameras in a trial aerial cull.

"In those 36 hours, we destroyed 126 pigs," Mr Korcz said.

"Ninety-nine per cent were detected thermally, compared to only 1 per cent visually."

That is now being expanded to a 200-hour operation over the entire pig-infested area.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.WatchDuration: 40 seconds40s Thermal imaging is used to track feral pigs.(Supplied: HeliSurveys)

For the man taking aim, the heat-sensing equipment has vastly improved his bird's-eye view.

"You could see right through the canopy into the burnt landscape, where the pigs are going to be hanging in the creek lines and the bracken fern, which I couldn't do with the naked eye," said feral animal control officer Brenton Florence.

Mr Florence has already played a pivotal role in eradicating deer and goats from Kangaroo Island.

He is hoping to add pigs to the list and says thermal technology has been a game changer on the ground as well as in the air.

"If we'd have had that with the deer and goats, I reckon you could have halved the time you took to do it," he said.

Brenton Florence said thermal imaging would have helped deal with other pests.(

ABC Landline: Kerry Staight

)Sodium nitrate more effective than 1080 poison

Thermal technology isn't the only weapon.

Baiting stations designed for pigs are being filled with a poison that has only recently been released.

"Sodium nitrite is really humane and kills pigs very quickly and much more effectively than 1080," Mr Korcz said.

"For the feral pig eradication, so far we've had zero off-target kills from our poisoning program."

The baits are filled with a recently released poison.(

ABC Landline: Kerry Staight

)

The South Australian Department of Primary Industries, National Parks and Wildlife, the local landscape board and landholders have joined forces to carry out the multi-layered eradication program.

"We're pretty confident," said Mike Greig, who manages national parks on the island.

"You can never say for sure, but we're going to give it a really good go."

Program coordinators say the baits have been effective in poisoning the pigs.(

ABC Landline: Kerry Staight

)

Mr Greig said pigs were a big problem for emerging and threatened vegetation.

"The Kangaroo Island river daisy, that's a very rare plant and pigs are a direct impact on that plant through disturbance," he said.

"More importantly, pigs spread phytophthora. That's a fungal disease that is really bad news for native vegetation."

'A short window now to make it count' Feral pigs cause expensive damage to farmland.(

Supplied: Rick Morris

)

Pigs are also bad news for graziers, croppers and potato growers.

The wild animals rip up paddocks.

Before the bushfires, it was estimated they cost the farming community $600,000 a year.

"It's a threat to our industry," said KI Agriculture chairman Rick Morris.

"It's not only the economic damage, it's a threat to livestock health."

He said most farmers were excited about the prospect of getting rid of that threat.

"Apart from a few recreational hunters, who are obviously disappointed they can't go and participate in that pastime anymore, every landholder that I would know would be on board," he said.

Rick Morris said most farmers were pleased about the feral pig eradication program.(

ABC Landline: Kerry Staight

)

Someone who has mixed views is Will Marshall, who runs Kangaroo Island's Rare Breeds Farm.

While he could see the value of the eradication plan, he said the pigs' gene pool was also worth conserving.

"They are extremely unique," he said.

"These animals have lived in the wild without us interfering ... so they are hardy animals.

"I still feel there could be some good things in them."

Will Marshall keeps pigs at his rare breeds farm.(

ABC Landline: Kerry Staight

)

The team behind the eradication project said the bad outweighed the good, and it was time to seize the opportunity to get rid of them while it lasted.

"The scrub's still growing back at the moment; it's a lot [more] open than what it was when we did the goats," Mr Florence said.

"In 18 months' time it's not going to be, so we've got a short window now to make it count."

Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline this Sunday at 12:30pm or on iview.

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