Australia’s feral fox control strategy is being overhauled for the first time in almost two decades, amid concerns the invasive animals could help spread bird flu to native wildlife.
A draft Threat Abatement Plan released for public consultation would replace the existing 2008 strategy, which co-ordinates efforts to address the threat posed by red foxes to Australia’s native fauna.
The move follows the detection of bird flu in a red fox in Adelaide’s north last month. Wildlife management consultant David Farlam said foxes, which are now found across central Australia, could become vectors for the virus.
“If that gets into animals like foxes, then that may be a good thing to reduce fox numbers. But it also could spread the virus to other species,” he said.
Rob Brewster, rewilding manager at the Invasive Species Council, said the new plan came at an important time. But he warned that inconsistent funding could undermine efforts to reduce fox numbers.
“Over the past 18 years what we’ve seen fox management funding is on again, off again, stop and start. There’s funding cliffs where you’ve got to shovel that money out the door by the end of the financial year. Then there’s no funds left to monitor outcomes,” he said.
Mr Brewster said the draft strategy had been shaped by people with a detailed understanding of foxes and their impact, but would need sufficient financial backing.
“The new strategy is very good. It’s had a lot of input from people who really understand foxes and the impact in Australia, however it’s going to have to be backed up by all of the funding that is mentioned in the report,” he said.
Feral fox control funding gap
The draft plan estimates that between $5 million and $7 million is currently spent each year on fox management for conservation purposes. Its proposed strategy would require $37 million annually.
Mr Brewster said Australia did not have the technology to eradicate foxes completely, but gene drive technology could offer a potentially effective and humane method of population control.
The approach would involve editing the genes of a female fox so she produced only male offspring. Those males could pass the gene to subsequent generations, causing the population to eventually collapse.
“Essentially the population would collapse in on itself at some point in time,” Mr Brewster said.
He added that the plan did not set out the cost of developing such new approaches and said that should be included.
Estimates from 2022 put Australia’s red fox population at 1.7 million. Although most remain in temperate and semi-urban areas, some have been recorded travelling up to 300 kilometres.
Red foxes have contributed to the extinction of at least 20 of Australia’s 37 mammal species since they arrived in 1870, and continue to threaten as many as 60 bird, mammal and reptile species.
Public submissions on the draft Threat Abatement Plan close on January 29, 2027.
