Feral Invasive Animals in Australia

[Buckshot Bear]

I posted this in another thread but thought I'd make a separate thread on its on.

 

This is from AI and then on top of all these the list of noxious plants is huge -

 

 

Australia has one of the highest numbers of established feral vertebrate species in the world. These animals have been introduced by humans and now live and breed in the wild, often causing major environmental, agricultural, and economic damage.

Mammals

Hoofed Animals (Ungulates)

• Feral Pig (Sus scrofa)
• Feral Goat (Capra hircus)
• Feral Camel (Camelus dromedarius)
• Feral Horse (Brumby) (Equus caballus)
• Feral Donkey (Equus asinus)
• Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
• Banteng (Bos javanicus)
• Feral Cattle (Bos taurus and Bos indicus)
• Feral Deer:
  • Red Deer
  • Fallow Deer
  • Sambar Deer
  • Rusa Deer
  • Chital (Axis Deer)
  • Hog Deer

Predators

• Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
• Feral Cat (Felis catus)
• Dingo × Domestic Dog Hybrids
• Feral Dogs

Rabbits and Hares

• European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
• European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)

Rodents

• Black Rat (Rattus rattus)
• Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
• House Mouse (Mus musculus)

Birds

• Common Starling
• Common Myna (Indian Myna)
• House Sparrow
• Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon)
• European Blackbird
• European Goldfinch
• Common Greenfinch
• Common Chaffinch
• European Skylark
• Spotted Dove
• Laughing Dove
• Common Pheasant
• Indian Peafowl (feral populations)
• Wild Turkey (localised)
• Mallard Duck (feral populations)
• Domestic Goose (feral populations)

Reptiles

• Asian House Gecko
• Mourning Gecko
• Brahminy Blind Snake
• Red-eared Slider Turtle (small wild populations)
• Green Iguana (isolated incursions, eradication efforts)

Amphibians

• Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) – Australia's most notorious invasive amphibian.

Freshwater Fish

• Common Carp
• Redfin Perch
• Eastern Gambusia (Mosquitofish)
• Brown Trout
• Rainbow Trout
• Goldfish
• Oriental Weatherloach
• Tilapia (restricted populations)
• European Perch
• Roach
• Tench

Marine and Estuarine Species

• Northern Pacific Seastar
• European Green Crab
• Black-striped Mussel (eradicated from Australia)
• Japanese Kelp
• Pacific Oyster (outside its native range)

Invertebrates

Some of Australia's major feral/invasive invertebrates include:

Ants

• Red Imported Fire Ant
• Yellow Crazy Ant
• Electric Ant
• Argentine Ant

Wasps

• European Wasp

Bees

• European Honey Bee (feral colonies)

Snails

• Giant African Snail (eradicated when detected)
• European Garden Snail

Other Invertebrates

• European Wasp
• Portuguese Millipede
• Harlequin Ladybird
• Spotted Lanternfly (not established; under surveillance)

Australia's Most Damaging Feral Vertebrates

These species are generally considered the highest priority for management due to their widespread impacts:

• 🦊 Red Fox
• 🐈 Feral Cat
• 🐇 European Rabbit
• 🐖 Feral Pig
• 🐐 Feral Goat
• 🐪 Feral Camel
• 🐎 Feral Horse (Brumby)
• 🫏 Feral Donkey
• 🐃 Water Buffalo
• 🦌 Feral Deer
• 🐄 Feral Cattle
• 🐕 Feral Dogs

These animals collectively cause billions of dollars in damage each year, affecting:

• Native wildlife through predation and competition.
• Agricultural production through grazing, crop damage, and disease risks.
• Waterways and wetlands through erosion and pollution.
• Cultural heritage sites and fencing.
• Road safety through vehicle collisions.

Australia continues to invest heavily in control programs—including trapping, aerial and ground shooting, baiting, biological control (such as rabbit calicivirus), exclusion fencing, and coordinated regional management—to reduce the impacts of these invasive species.

[Buckshot Bear]

The English 'gentleman' set up 'Acclimatisation Societies' in the early 1800's to introduce a lot of these animals and birds to make it 'more like home' different species of monkeys were released at various times as well....thankfully they all died off as did the llamas and alpacas also thankfully.

[Brock]

you didnt mention Europeans.  😁

[Buckshot Bear]

3 hours ago, Brock said:

you didnt mention Europeans.  😁

 

The Aborigines were the first homo sapian invasives. 

[Cypress Sun]

Seems like most of the invasive species would make for some good eating! Are any of them a 'protected' species or are all of them fair game?

 

Only one of the species on the list, European Bees, seems like it would be good for the environment.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

So........God put all of his own "left over" critters down there in one place, clear to hell and gone away from the rest of the planet.  Some of the deadliest things on the planet......and a lot of spaces unfit for many living things.

 

Then man came along and "improved" things by bringing in even more damaging species, though not as deadly to man, but hell on the environment.....and added prisoners and soldiers unloved by "society" as a cherry on top.  Many of them even tried to eliminate the native peoples who were there for centuries before anyone else arrived or even knew of the existence of Australia.

 

Finally you got crappy governments (don't we all) and he made you talk funny and eat weird foods.

 

What's left?  Maybe astroid or meteor storms, horrible illnesses, or massive earthquakes, tsunamis and storms?

 

Thanks to God though for letting Australia (and New Zealand) have a lot of really tough, interesting, nice, and comfortable-to-be-around and fun folks. 

 

 

[PowderRiverCowboy]

I dont see liberals on that list they should be

 

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

I thought ALL animals in Australia were feral !

Horace

[Buckshot Bear]

11 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

Seems like most of the invasive species would make for some good eating! Are any of them a 'protected' species or are all of them fair game?

 

Only one of the species on the list, European Bees, seems like it would be good for the environment.

 

Except for trout in streams and rivers (not deep lakes or dams) which are closed to fishing for the spawning season......everything else is on the hit list and shot in their hunreds of thousands and still the populations aren't dented.