Kangaroos,
wallaroos and wallabies (herein referred to as just kangaroos)
have long been persecuted and culled on the land predominately
due to their grazing nature.
Many
believe that the kangaroos grass and herbivorous diet puts them
in direct competition to cattle and sheep, and therefore they
are considered as pests.
This is not necessarily the case, particularly in times of good
growth.
The
Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE) system was developed to help farmers
compare feed requirements for different classes of stock as
well as to determine the carrying capacity of an area.
In
measuring the energy requirements of livestock, the standard
animal against which all other animals are compared is a 50kg
wether sheep maintaining a constant weight. By definition, a
50kg wether has a dry sheep equivalent (DSE) rating of 1, animals
requiring more feed have a higher rating, and animals requiring
less feed have a lower rating. The DSE rating of all classes
of stock is based on the feed requirements of the animals.
DSE
can also be used to compare feed intake of sheep, cattle and
kangaroos.
DSE
is simple -
4A
50kg dry sheep has a DSE rating of 1.
4A
450kg dry cow has a DSE rating of 6, meaning that one cow
...would eats six times more grass
than one sheep.
4An
800kg bull has a DSE rating of 10, meaning that one bull
...would eat ten times more grass
than one sheep.
4Cows
at different age stages and pregnant cows have different
...energy requirements and therefore
have different DSE ratings -
...which are more than a standard
cow or bull.
4Similarly,
a horse has a DSE of 10.
4Rabbits
have a DSE rating of around 0.125, meaning that it
...would take 8 rabbits to eat
the same amount of grass as one
...sheep.
4Kangaroos
are known to have a DSE rating of .625, meaning ... that
one kangaroo would.eat
only 62.5% of that of one ...50kg sheep.
Kangaroos
only compete with livestock for pasture when total grazing pressure
exceeds dry matter production. To estimate the contribution
of kangaroos to total grazing pressure, research has shown that
one dry sheep equivalent (DSE) equals 1.6 kangaroos or one kangaroo
equals 0.625 DSE. In addition, the contribution of rabbits to
the total grazing pressure may be considerable. It is estimated
that eight to ten rabbits equal one DSE. Often, alleged kangaroo
damage to pastures or crops is due, at least in part, to rabbits.
Grazing by kangaroos (and rabbits) does, however, reduce potential
yields of hay.
Parasites
and other complaints.....
Some
people also believe that kangaroos transfer internal parasites
to stock. This belief is groundless as most parasites to kangaroos
are specific to marsupials and are not hosted by cattle and
sheep. There
are two exceptions - liver fluke and tapeworm - however it is
believed that liver fluke was introduced to Australia via the
importation of domestic cattle and the parasite was actually
transferred to marsupials. And, it
is more likely that tapeworm is transferred from farm dogs to
cattle after feeding them uncooked offal from culled marsupials,
there is no direct transfer of tapeworm from marsupials to stock.
The
belief that footrot can be carried by kangaroos and transmitted
to livestock is also false, as this is not a disease associated
with marsupials.
It
is often the bain of a farmer when kangaroos damage fencing
in their efforts to access feed and water. This can be easily
- and quite cheaply - rectified.
Solutions.....
There
are several ways that farmers can adapt their properties for
the inclusion of kangaroos.
4Electric
fencing can be used to keep stock in one area, and too keep
kangaroos out.
4Instal
swing gates so that kangaroos can enter an area - stock will
not use these gates.
4Kangaroo
grazing patterns can be disrupted by loud noises and lights.
This will encourage kangaroos to move
...to other areas during periods
of the day.
4Create
small dams in bush areas so that kangaroos are not seeking water
in stock areas.
4Don't
hand feed kangaroos as this will encourage them to stay in the
area and they will be less likely to
...range freely and graze elsewhere.
