Weipa’s annual Feral Animal Control event has taken a load off Western Cape’s environment. Photo: Supplied.
More than 8000 kilograms of invasive species have been removed from the environment after this year’s Western Cape Feral Animal Control event in Weipa.
Competitors numbering 149 full and 11 juniors took on the task of putting a dent in the township’s feral animal population. A total of 320 pigs, 19 cats, and 399 kg of toads presented at the weigh-in night on 20 September at the Albatross Bay Resort.
With full competitor nominations capped at 150, group treasurer Mia Waite said the team was “absolutely stoked” with the community support.
“The turnout was really good because the more hunters, the more feral pigs, cats and toads being targeted,” she said.
“We did have to turn a couple of teams away because the nominations were already at maximum.”
The pig total weighed in at a whopping 8018 kg with team Good as Gold – Gary, Rhiannon and Kazmyra Head – contributing the biggest boar of the event with its 91.9 kg porker. Blue Boars – Daniel Boyer and Clayton Riggs – took runner-up with its 90.05 kg catch.
Cape Pork 1 – Marcus Payne – took home biggest sow of the event with a 63.35 kg pig; Getting Piggy With It – Benny Madua, Xander Wone and Evan Sellick – grabbed silver on the podium with its 59.9 kg catch.
The most pigs of the event, 27, were brought in by the Junk Yard Dogs – Redman and Kaden Brett, and Anthony Hoad. Outback Chaos – Zachary Phipps and Alyssa Taare – was right on the Dogs’ heels with 26 catches.
Radar Ridge Wranglers – Steve and Tilly Rehn, and Oden Thom – snagged bragging rights for the biggest tusk at 78.5 mm. The Boar Slaying Bartons – father-and-son duo Scott and Jack Barton – narrowly missed gold at 75 mm.
First and second place for the biggest feral cat, as well as most cats caught, went to the Numb Skulls – Sam Midgley and Dayne Stewart – which nabbed a 4.4 kg and 3.75 kg cat among its 12 catches.
In the Toad Busters event for ages 13 and under, the biggest toad weighed in at 540 g, caught by team Catch and Freeze – Will and Max Van Wyk, and Maddison Pezzotti. Team Swamp Stalker – Harlen and Naveyah Nester, and Kenny Roy – nabbed runner-up for biggest toad with a 512 g hunt and heaviest total with 106.2 kg of the amphibian army.
Ms Waite said it was promising to see young community members engaging in feral animal control, but wanted numbers to grow.
“It’s very important, especially for up here, to know what those animals do, and what getting rid of them also does,” she said.
“At the moment, it’s good with the hunters. But we would like to see more young ones with their families.”
