Overview
Spatial modelling will be used to better understand feral pig distributions and their ecology, enabling cost-effective strategies for feral pig management.
The data generated from this project will inform strategic decision-making within biosecurity incident responses affecting feral and domestic pig populations.
Project Lead: Queensland (QLD) Department of Primary Industries
Project Contact: Robyn.Grob@daf.qld.gov.au
Project Status: Active
Objective alignment:
- 1 – Improve Australia’s preparedness and ability to respond to emergency animal diseases.
Activity alignment:
- 1.4 – Undertake projects, including commissioning and undertaking research, to further develop economic analyses and epidemiological modelling tools supporting rapid decision making in emergency animal disease responses for priority diseases.
Project updates
Future Actions
An additional research paper has been prepared. It focuses on feral pig movement before, during and after aerial shooting activities to support refinement of control measure strategies. This paper is undergoing final checks.
A report on the analysis of habitat-use data from additional sites has been drafted. This report aims to validate habitat suitability maps and previously generated habitat preference findings to validate model applicability. Final habitat suitability maps are being prepared for inclusion in the report.
May 2025
The study on the behavioural (movement) response of feral pigs to aerial control was presented at the Australasian Vertebrate Pest Conference in Sydney, New South Wales on 1 August 2024.
Watch the presentation by Dr Catherine Kelly on Variable responses to aerial control.
February 2025
A fourth scientific paper was published in Wildlife Research on 16 April 2024:
November 2023
Biosecurity QLD’s feral pig spatial modelling has improved understanding of feral pig distributions and their ecology. This will enable cost-effective strategies for feral pig management. Three scientific papers have been published:
- Factors influencing the activity ranges of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) across four sites in eastern Australia (Wildlife Research, 2023)
- Feral pig (Sus scrofa) activity and landscape feature revisitation across four sites in eastern Australia (Australian Mammalogy, 2023)
- Feral pig management in Australia: implications for disease control (Australian Veterinary Journal, 2022).
In addition to formal journal papers, the project has put together a comprehensive public report on the effectiveness and efficiencies of feral pig control tools:
Feral pig control techniques - A review and discussion of efficacy and efficiency for application in Queensland (Queensland Government, 2022).
An internal-only report on the capacity of QLD stakeholders to control feral pigs was also prepared.
See more
Read more publications related to feral pig control and management:
- Enhancing strategic deployment of baiting transects for invasive species control – a case study for feral pig baiting in north-eastern Australia (Wildlife Research, 2024)
- Factors influencing the activity ranges of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) across four sites in eastern Australia (Wildlife Research, 2023)
- Feral pig control techniques - A review and discussion of efficacy and efficiency for application in Queensland (Queensland Government, 2022)
- Feral pig management in Australia: implications for disease control (Australian Veterinary Journal, 2022)
- Feral pig (Sus scrofa) activity and landscape feature revisitation across four sites in eastern Australia (Australian Mammalogy, 2023)