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The Rangeland Journal The Rangeland Journal Society
Journal of the Australian Rangeland Society
RESEARCH ARTICLE

An electrified watering trough that selectively excludes kangaroos.

GL Norbury

The Rangeland Journal 14(1) 3 - 8
Published: 1992

Abstract

It is generally agreed that the provision of artificial watering points has allowed populations of large kangaroos to increase in the arid and semi-arid rangelands. This study examines the effectiveness of a selective watering device, known as a 'Finlayson Trough', that is designed to exclude kangaroos but allow sheep to drink. The device is a low-lying electrified wire that surrounds a trough and is overstepped by sheep but contacted by a kangaroo's feet or tail. Of the 292 observed attempts at drinking by red kangaroos (Macropus rufis), 99% were unsuccessful. Most shocks were received through the feet. Of the 309 observed attempts at drinking by sheep, minor shocks to the legs were received in 17% of cases. These resulted in only short-term disruptions to drinking. Finlayson Troughs could be used humanely to facilitate commercial kangaroo harvesting by exploiting local concentrations of kangaroos around watering points; to control the distribution of kangaroos in sensitive regenerating areas; or, by gradual implementation, to allow kangaroos to adjust their behaviour to accommodate fewer artificial watering points.

https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ9920003

© ARS 1992

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