The ACT Government has announced the ongoing program to control rabbit and hare populations in Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary will continue until March 2016, with amended hours of 8 pm at night to 4 am in the morning starting from Monday 2 November 2015. These changes will allow people to access the site for early morning walks.
“The program involves shooting and fumigation methods undertaken by highly qualified ACT Government rangers,” Ranger-in-Charge, Mulligans Flat Woodlands Sanctuary, Mark Sweaney, said.
“This is a jointly funded program between the Capital Woodlands and Wetlands Conservation Trust and the ACT Government. This program is an essential component of our scheduled control program.
“The control program allows our rangers to actively search for rabbits and hares and to reassess previously controlled locations. Since the formation of the Sanctuary in 2009, the ACT Government has been actively controlling feral pest species. The most recent monitoring results indicate that the rabbit numbers are currently at an extremely low level.
“As well as protecting the critically endangered yellow box–Blakely’s red gum grassy woodland, the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary aims to create an environment free of feral pests and allow for the reintroduction of animals that have long since disappeared from the region.
“While foxes and cats were removed within the first year of the Sanctuary’s operation and rabbit and hare populations have been reduced, it has proven more difficult to completely eliminate these pests. We need to continue reducing the population of rabbits in the area, to ensure reintroduced species, such as the eastern bettong, have the best chance to continue flourishing.”
The Sanctuary will remain open during the day however closures will come into effect on each night on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 8 pm and 4 am from Monday 2 November 2015 to Friday 4 March 2016.
Operations will cease over the Christmas and New Year’s break meaning the sanctuary will be open at all times to the public between the dates of Friday 18 December 2015 through to Monday 4 January 2016 when the program will recommence.
Notification signage is in place at all public entrances to the reserve to alert people to the closure. As this is an ongoing project, the public will be notified if further work is done in the area.
For enquiries on the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary rabbit and hare control program please call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
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