Damaged sections of South Australia’s Dog Fence are again dog-proof following extensive storms and floods in January 2022.

Significant damage to the Dog Fence occurred between Coober Pedy and the Flinders Ranges during the severe weather - with a total of 40 floodways, stretching over 25km of the Dog Fence, damaged beyond repair.

As soon as the roads dried out, local Dog Fence Board members, landowners and station employees, State Government staff, Dog Fence patrol and fencing contractors worked tirelessly to repair the damage and make the fence dog-proof.

More than 33,000 baits were dropped around the fence as part of the emergency response to the floods, as an additional protection measure against wild dog incursions while the fence was damaged.

Further heavy thunderstorms hit in late April, again damaging the Dog Fence in the Northern Flinders Ranges and Coober Pedy areas.

Work to repair the latest areas of damage is now underway.

A project to rebuild the Dog Fence in South Australia is currently in progress. As of 6 May 2022, more than 400 km of the Dog Fence has been rebuilt and 470 km is under construction.

The rebuilt Dog Fence has been designed to withstand more extreme weather events.

Learn more at https://pir.sa.gov.au/dogfence

The Dog Fence is part of efforts to control the impact of wild dogs on South Australia’s livestock industry.

Quotes

Attributable to Minister for Primary Industries Clare Scriven

The damage to the Dog Fence meant wild dogs were able to get through the fence, threatening the South Australian sheep industry, which is worth $1.5 billion a year.

The local and state Dog Fence Boards, State Government agencies and landowners swung into action following the storms to prevent wild dogs from impacting livestock inside the Dog Fence.

Aerial baiting programs and major repairs on the Dog Fence can sometimes take months to coordinate, given the distances required to travel, damage to access routes, and the scale of the operations. The significant damage caused by the floods and storms required an extraordinary effort to repair in such a short time.

These efforts are to be commended.

Attributable to Local pastoralist and Chair of the Dog Fence Board Geoff Power

A large group of landowners, contractors, government representatives and Dog Fence Board members and employees have gone above and beyond to ensure the Dog Fence is again protecting South Australia’s livestock.

Reassuringly, the areas of the Dog Fence already rebuilt have so far withstood the storms and floods, as it has been built to endure harsher weather events. This shows how important the efforts to rebuild the Dog Fence in South Australia are.