Bill Sykes personally puts a bounty on foxes

Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes, is funding his own fox tail bounty scheme during the month of May.

This follows on from Melbourne Labor’s rejection of National Party calls to reinstate the highly successful Fox Bounty Program which resulted in 170,000 fox tails being handed in when the bounty last operated in 2002.

Dr Sykes said, “My Nationals colleagues and I are serious about the fox bounty which we believe encourages the control of foxes and therefore the protection of lambs and native fauna.

“In my case, foxes killed or maimed over 10% of my lambs last year – and that is in spite of having alpacas with the lambing ewes and undertaking a fox baiting program ahead of lambing time.

“I found it extremely distressing last Spring when one rogue fox was just crushing new born lamb's heads, fracturing their jaws and skulls but not causing their immediate death.

“It is heart wrenching to find maimed little lambs bleating pathetically, unable to feed and with their mother standing guard over them.

“I find killing these little lambs one of the most distressing things that I’ve had to do in 30 years as a farmer and veterinarian.”

Dr Sykes continued, “With such close personal awareness of the cruelty of foxes, I strongly advocate the reinstatement of a fox bounty as part of a coordinated State approach to fox control.

“I will pay $10 to the first person in each of the locations listed below who delivers a fox tail to me and $1 each for every other fox tail delivered to me in May.

“Any constituent in the Electorate of Benalla is eligible to collect the bounty on foxes which they have killed in the Electorate of Benalla. Simply deliver the tails to any of the following locations:

Benalla - Electorate Office, 2/55 Carrier Street, 19 May 9.30-10.30am
Bonnie Doon - Post Office 22 May, 12.30-1.30pm
Eildon - Shopping Centre 22 May, 2.30-3.30pm
Myrtleford - Shopping Centre 23 May, 10.30-11.30am
Bright - Post Office 23 May, 2.00-3.00pm
Mt Beauty - Post Office 24 May, 11.00-12.00pm
Moyhu - Store/Post Office 24 May, 2.00-3.00pm
Nagambie - Post Office 26 May, 1.00-2.00pm
Avenel - Post Office 26 May, 2.30-3.30pm
Euroa - Post Office 26 May, 4.00-5.00pm

Dr Sykes concluded, “I and my Nationals colleagues will continue to pressure the city based Bracks Government to reintroduce the fox bounty in the interest of the well-being of our native fauna and little lambs.”

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Watchdog Comment:

This is a great initiative by our local member and I am sure it will provide plenty of ammunition to take back to the Victorian Government.

However, here are a couple of alternatives for Bill to recycle the fox tails he collects.

First, they could be donated to a local fly fishing club where they would be utilised in fly tying. The picture here shows a red foxtail nymph which is very effective in catching trout in our waters.

The second is a little more farcical where the fox tail is being used a Computer Plug-in, made of the tail of an Australian red fox. The tail, which is designed to connect to an unused ethernet socket, is part of Max Wolf’s range of fetishist accessories for playing with while sitting in front of a computer.

The Watchdog looks forward to seeing how this initiative plays out.

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