Across regional and semi-rural New South Wales, feral pests such as wild dogs, foxes, rabbits, and feral deer continue to cause significant and escalating damage to private properties, agricultural land, livestock, and native ecosystems. For many landholders, these pests are more than a nuisance—they are a direct threat to safety, livelihood, and the structural integrity of homes and infrastructure.

AUMARK, a licensed and accredited professional vertebrate pest-control service operating throughout NSW, responds to these threats daily. Using humane, ethical, and highly regulated methods, including professional ground shooting, our team provides the essential frontline protection required to keep properties safe and to prevent ongoing destruction.

Below is an overview of the real and severe impacts we encounter on client properties every week—supported by thermal images, field reports, and photographic evidence of active pest populations.

Wild Dogs – A Serious Threat to Landowners and Livestock

Wild dogs (including dingoes, dingo-hybrids, and domestic dog crossbreeds) are among the most destructive feral animals encountered on NSW properties.

Their impacts are extensive:

• Attacks on livestock: Wild dogs routinely attack sheep, goats, calves, and poultry. They often wound far more animals than they kill, causing prolonged suffering and significant financial loss to farmers.

• Direct danger to humans: Many landowners have reported wild dogs stalking them near homes, sheds, and paddocks—particularly at night.

• Harassment of working dogs: Rural working dogs are frequently injured or killed during territorial confrontations.

• Psychological impact: Repeated attacks create fear among families, especially those with young children.

AUMARK's thermal footage and night-time patrol images clearly show wild dogs actively roaming landowner boundaries, approaching livestock pens, and circling dwellings. Without professional intervention, these animals can quickly establish breeding territories and escalate their attacks.

Rabbits – Structural Damage to Houses and Infrastructure

Rabbits are often underestimated, but they remain one of Australia's most destructive vertebrate pests. On many of our customers' properties, rabbits cause significant structural and environmental damage, including:

1. Undermining House Foundations

Rabbits burrow beneath houses, sheds, and garages, creating voids that destabilise foundations. Over time, this leads to:

• Cracking concrete slabs

• Sunken footings

• Collapsing verandas and decks

• Sloped or uneven floors

• Doors and windows shifting out of alignment

This type of structural damage can cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair and poses genuine safety hazards.

2. Destroying Gardens and Landscaping

Rabbits graze aggressively, stripping vegetation down to bare soil and killing young plants and trees. Once established, warrens can expand rapidly and create extensive underground networks.

3. Rapid Breeding Rate

A single rabbit can produce 6–7 litters per year, meaning a small unmanaged population can explode into hundreds within a short period.

The images provided from AUMARK field operations show high levels of night-time rabbit activity, confirming the scale of the infestation on affected properties.

Foxes – Predators That Devastate Native Wildlife and Farm Animals

Red foxes are highly intelligent predators that adapt quickly to suburban, rural, and agricultural landscapes.

AUMARK routinely responds to fox activity around:

• Poultry sheds

• Lambing sites

• Goat farms

• Hobby farms

• Residential properties

Foxes kill lambs, chickens, ducklings, rabbits, cats, and small dogs. They also destroy ground-nesting native birds, lizards, and marsupials—causing significant environmental harm.

Thermal images captured by AUMARK show foxes moving just metres from homes and livestock areas, demonstrating how bold and comfortable these predators have become in human-occupied areas.

Feral Deer – Major Agricultural and Property Damage

Feral deer populations in NSW have increased dramatically over the past decade, with many regions now experiencing chronic, costly damage.

AUMARK clients frequently report that deer:

• Break fences while jumping or pushing through them

• Destroy crops and grazing pasture, resulting in major financial losses

• Damage vineyards, orchards, and newly planted trees

• Cause vehicle collisions, posing serious public-safety risks

• Trample gardens and irrigation systems

• Enter residential properties overnight, eating all vegetation and creating hazards

Large deer—particularly stags—are also known to behave aggressively during rut season, making them a genuine safety threat to residents.

Why Professional Ground Shooting by AUMARK Is Critical

Feral pest management is a highly specialised field requiring:

• Professional firearms licensing

• Accredited training

• Safe-work procedures

• Risk assessments

• Insurance

• Compliance with NSW Firearms Act, Pest Control Orders, and animal-welfare standards

Ground shooting, when performed by professionals, is recognised as one of the most humane and effective methods of controlling:

• Wild dogs

• Foxes

• Rabbits

• Feral deer

AUMARK uses advanced equipment including thermal optics, night-vision, and precision-engineered rifles to ensure:

• Instant, humane destruction

• Minimal disturbance to surrounding properties

• Controlled, safe operations in accordance with NSW regulations

• Targeted removal of pests causing direct harm

Compared to baiting, which can take weeks and risks harming native wildlife (such as possums, wallabies, and bird species), professional ground shooting is fast, controlled, and environmentally responsible.

Real-World Evidence From AUMARK Operations

The images and thermal footage accompanying this report demonstrate:

• Multiple wild dogs and foxes observed patrolling customer properties

• High rabbit activity near homes, sheds, and agricultural structures

• Deer damaging fences and grazing heavily on crops

• Night-time surveillance showing pests approaching livestock and domestic animals

This evidence confirms a clear and ongoing need for professional vertebrate pest-control services, including the safe use of firearms, to protect:

• Landholders

• Livestock

• Domestic animals

• Homes and structural assets

• Native wildlife

• Agricultural production

AUMARK plays a critical role in ensuring these communities remain safe and sustainable.

Conclusion

Feral pests cause profound economic, environmental, and safety impacts across NSW. For many landowners, unmanaged pest populations threaten their homes, livestock, crops, and overall wellbeing. Professional intervention is not optional—it is essential.

AUMARK provides the controlled, compliant, and humane pest-management response required to address these growing threats. Our operations directly mitigate severe property damage, livestock losses, and risks to human safety.

The Department of Home Affairs can be confident that the equipment and methods used by AUMARK are necessary, proportionate, and fundamental to meeting the operational demands placed upon us by our clients.