Electric Fencing solutions
We welcome more input for this section about your experiences with electric fencing and wildlife. Some of this information is from the Wide Bay Burnett Regional Organisation of Councils Inc
Electric fencing is a highly reliable and cost-effective way to control animal movement, both for the safety of wildlife and farm animals. It can be more effective at containing or excluding animals than traditional fencing as the short, safe and memorable shock produced creates a psychological barrier, in addition to the physical barrier of the fence.
It is illegal to electrify barbed wire fences, but an offset electrified wire on a barbed wire fence can be disastrous for wildlife. The offset is often so short a distance that animals caught by the barbs cannot keep away from electrified wire, and they are earthed through the metal fence. This is particularly a problem with an electrified wire adjacent to the top two strands where most wildlife are caught.
Every electric fence system is made up of a power system and a fence system. There are three main types of electric fencing systems, all of which are generally wildlife friendly. The main problem lies in electrified wires offset on barbed wire fences.
- a purpose-built electric fence. These fences are usually wildlife friendly. Flying and gliding animals in contact with only the top electrified wire are not grounded, and terrestrial animals can choose to move away from the fence
- plain wire fencing using steel posts and insulators.
- fitting offset electrified wires to an existing prefabricated, plain or barbed wire fence. “Building a combination fence from scratch gives considerable savings as this type of fence normally does not require the same number of wires and posts as a normal conventional fence. ” (from Wires and Pliers)
A 2018 publication Kangaroos-and-Wallabies from Victoria has ideas for the design of a 45 degree sloping electric fence with swing gates to enable wildlife to pass through. It can be a cost-efficient option to use a fence that leans at 45 degrees into the paddock, with or without live wiring. Farmers have reported high exclusion rates when using multiple strands of electrified wiring in such sloping fences, as animals who try to push under or through a fence are forced into contact with the electrified wires as they touch or stand on the lower wires. However, this design requires considerable investment and upkeep and thus won’t always be a practicable option particularly in bushfire-prone areas.
Kangaroos will usually jump a fence in a near vertical fashion from as close to the obstacle as possible. To prevent kangaroos from attempting to jump a fence in the first instance, the fence should be at least 1.8 m high.
Gallagher landcare electric grants, launched in 2019, include a category of Conservation fencing – Installing conservation fencing can help exclude threats to valuable native plants and animals, such as: browsing or trampling by herbivores (such as stock, rabbits or kangaroos); preventing damage from people; or even to keep out introduced pests.
It is imperative that an electrified fence is installed properly (e.g. taut strands of wire, use of one energizer) and maintained so that hazards, such as likelihood of people or animals suffering entanglements, entrapments or receiving multiple shocks is minimised. Therefore, it is highly recommended that installation and maintenance is done in accordance with the Australian / New Zealand Standard 3014/2003 Electrical Installations – Electric Fences.
Read here about an electric fence used to keep feral pigs out of a threatened ecological community.
Westbury, Tasmania
Glen Boyd writes “When we purchased our 100 acre farm there was a lack of native tree species, (and trees in general). There were only seven natural native trees left standing, and some dead trees that made good houses for wildlife. We decided we should plant out what we call our water way. This creek runs only in winter, but has not had water in it for the past three years 2007/2006/2005. We have planted about 6000 native trees and fenced them from off from stock. After the tree planting we noticed an influx of birds and smaller wildlife, including the endangered green and gold frog. The fencing we used to stop the stock had to be suitable and cost effective, animal friendly and easy to maintain. So we decided to use 7 and 9 plain medium tensile wire, top wire electric. The distance between wooden posts is 8 meters and a steel star post in the centre of each span. This form of fencing has proven to be effective once we added the 8th and 9th wire along the bottom. The 7th and 9th wires were to stop the lambs from pushing through the lower wires. We are very pleased with the fence with only one case of spiking to date (after nine years in place), this was a very large beetle. We have found one brown duck that may have struck the fence but I am unable to confirm this.
Richmond, NSW
Barb Dobner writes: “ We had an experience where we applied for an Envirofund grant to regenerate bushland on our property. We have 150 acres, the back of which is remnant bushland that is one class down from world heritage area. We figure we have a great seed bank there and rather than planting species which are not indigenous to the area we could slowly move a fence line down the hill from the bushland and allow it to regenerate naturally just looking after weed control.
The current bushland has few weeds in it except on the boundary to the paddocks and has been like that for many years so we see no point in interfering with this. We did not want to put a 5 strand barbed wire fence as a boundary to the bushland firstly because of the impact barbed wires has on wildlife and secondly because we were hoping to move the fence out every few years as the area of regrowth increased.
Our regional Landcare officer thought it was a great idea and wanted to have a field day out here to encourage local landholders to use electric fencing as a wildlife friendly alternative to barbed wire. He said he thought it was the best application put in from this area and in his mind the most worthwhile project out of that years batch in this area in particular because it was thoughtful of both flora and fauna. We have found a three strand electric fence very effective with the cattle. It is a little work on our part keeping the grass down under it but have not yet found anything caught in it as there is nothing to get caught on and the lowest strand is high enough for the wallabies to easily get under. It is something we would have liked to have had the opportunity to promote.
The grant was knocked back and the feedback I got was because we wanted to use a three strand electric fence rather than 5 strands of barbed wire which is what they recommend to keep cattle out. I have not applied for any grants since as we have no intention of building any new barbed wire fences on our property – if we could we would take all the current ones down.
I was wondering if this is something the Wildlife Fencing Project would be interested in as the message coming from Government Departments is that bushland should be fenced off from cattle with barbed wire fencing. I do not think this is a good one and is unnecessary.