Other ideas

Ha-ha Wall

The Ha-ha is a barrier to animals in both directions. It is designed to give uninterrupted views and is invisible until seen close by. Ha-ha walls consist of a sunken stone-wall, its top level with the garden and a deep ditch on the far side: an effective barrier to livestock. They are found on many historic estates in the UK, built to allow the gentry to look out to the horizon without obtrusive fencing while keeping livestock out of private gardens.

Wildlife Crossings or Wildlife Movement Solutions

Wildlife-friendly crossings are a Wildlife Movement Solution (WMS) that allow animals to pass through man-made barriers such as roads and highways safely.  They allow habitats to join or reconnect, reducing habitat fragmentation, and also aid in the prevention of vehicle-animal collisions. The killing or wounding of wildlife, human injury, and property damage are then all potentially avoided.

Examples of this infrastructure include:

• wildlife exclusion fencing
• culvert underpasses and wildlife tunnels
• land-bridge overpasses
• koala refuge and glider poles
• rope bridges.

A rope ladder bridge built by Wildlife Crossings Australia for gliders, possums and other wildlife.

Wildlife signs and road pavement markings are also a form of WMS, which may inform the driver to slow down and adhere to the speed limit or be especially vigilant driving through areas known to be wildlife crossing points.

Brisbane City Council is trialling Kangaroo Jump-outs and Koala Climb-outs. They provide escape routes when these animals are trapped on roads (e.g. on the wrong side of a fence). Go here on this website for more information about these.

29 of the most heartwarming wildlife crossings around the world Many of these are large engineering projects

Wildlife corridors study of $1.6b bypass reveals feral animals the biggest users Even if wildlife are not the main users, these corridors are still avoiding road kill  accidents.

Wildlife Access Points and Gates

The design of these structures will vary according to what animals you are trying to keep in and out, what wildlife you are wanting to provide access to and what size all these animals are. Are you wanting a one-way gate to exclude a species, or just an access point to avoid harm to a fence or animal.

Wombats
The Wombat Protection Society of Australia will be trialing wombat gates in Victoria throughout 2022. Initially, gates will be available at no cost so please take advantage of the trial. To be eligible landowners must provide feedback on the success of the gates so that improvements can be made if necessary. It will be the landowner’s responsibility to install the gates which have been designed to fit into most existing ring lock /exclusion fencing. Contact them on info@wombatprotection.org.au

The installation of ‘wombat swing gates’ at known wombat breech points along a fence allow wombats to pass through without causing damage and the fence to exclude other unwanted animals. This project is supported through the Victorian Government Community Support Fund. Research has found installing wombat gates, can reduce fence damage and most importantly wombats will use them. Read more about it in these two brochures: WPSA wombats and WPSA gate project.

The performance of wombat gates in controlling wildlife movement through a predator fence January 2013 Australian Mammalogy 35(2):184

Macropods
Western Australia’s Department of Environment and Conservation has a handout Fencing and gates to reduce kangaroo damage
This factsheet has good information about macropod gates but also mentions shooting and sloping electric fences which we do not support. Animals caught on the wrong side of a sloping electric fence are in real trouble.

Macedon Ranges Wildlife Network have an excellent Wildlife-Friendly-Fencing-Brochure brochure that includes macropod fencing.

A swing gate in metal construction

Avoid this issue of potential erosion and fence damage, as well as harm to the wombats.

Another swing gate this time in timber

A kangaroo gate from old star pickets. It looks too large for sheep, but fine for large cattle.

A fence in Africa using an old tyre.

Virtual Fencing

A virtual fence is a fencing system that allows you to create a digital boundary rather than a physical one in the real world using GPS and other technologies. The system employs electronic collars which emit a sound to warn cattle when they are approaching a virtual boundary line. The collars contain advanced software to identify when a cow is near a fence line and which signals should be emitted. Signal timing and duration are based on the behaviour of the cow, and the animals can learn about the virtual fence in less than an hour, and so avoid the fence boundary. A mild electric shock teaches them to alter course when they first hear the warning sound. Virtual fences are often used to contain animals within a space, or as part of a GPS tracking system which enables you know where your pet or animal is at all times.

A virtual fence is drawn on the map in the fencing software or app.

Technically speaking, a virtual fence is any fence without a physical boundary. So this includes in-ground wired dog fences (which transmit a radio signal through buried wire) as well as invisible wireless dog fences. The latter creates a fenced area using a radio signal ‘circle’ around a central transmitter or base station. Other types of virtual fences use GPS and other wireless technologies to map an area of containment. While most invisible dog fences use electric shock to train the animal to stay inside the fence, some do not.

There are, however, some drawbacks with the technology that are still being studied and addressed:

• Whilst physical fences can keep out unwanted pests or animals away from farming land and cattle, virtual fencing does not. It only prioritises keeping cattle from certain areas.
• Physical fences provide a reliable barrier to disease transmission between different animals or species, whereas virtual fencing cannot ensure this.
• Ethical considerations of giving animals electronic sensory cues are still a key concern. The main issue is that every individual animal reacts differently, and so what may be a completely normal level of shock to one animal, could be harmful to another. Another issue is that an animal may not sense the shock and continue to cross the virtual fence, so the collar could continue to shock the animal until it returns to the zone.
• According to the RSPCA, there is a lack of research regarding the long-term impacts of the technology on animal welfare. Furthermore, the lack of predictability from constantly changing the boundaries can cause stress and anxiety for the cattle.

Virtual fencing is an animal-friendly fencing system that enables livestock to be confined or moved without using fixed fences. CSIRO’s patented virtual fencing technology uses neckbands with coordinates, wireless technologies and sensors to control the location of livestock without the need for an actual fence. The CSIRO and Gallagher eShepherd virtual fencing technology is a world first.

Virtual fencing for preventing wildlife deaths on roads

This is a different form of virtual fencing, where devices are placed at 25-metre intervals on alternating sides of the roads with a high road-kill history. The device is activated by approaching headlights up to 300 metres away. It emits a combination of sound and flashing light stimuli that alert animals and in turn reduces the startling effect of the headlights. They are triggered in sequence by the vehicle headlight as a car approaches along the road, forming a virtual fence.

The aim is to protect wildlife and enhance the safety of drivers. Wildlife Safety Solutions has introduced the technology into Australia and their latest testing has seen a 50% reduction in wildlife vehicle collisions in Tasmania. Virtual fence devices are manufactured in Austria and were originally designed to mitigate against the impact of vehicles hitting large game species such as deer and boar

Cat/dog-proofing your Yard

From The Conversation Feb 2021
“Pet cats kill 83 million native reptiles and 80 million native birds in Australia each year. From a wildlife perspective, keeping pet cats contained 24/7 is the only responsible option. It’s clearly possible: one third of Australian pet cat owners already keep their pets contained all the time.

Stopping pet cats from roaming is also good for the cats, which live longer, safer lives when kept indoors. It would also substantially reduce the number of people falling ill from cat-dependent diseases each year.”

There are options for cats to be kept outdoors though, by the use of outdoor/indoor enclosures like the cat max or catnets, or appropriate fencing with or without rollers. The Australian  Oscillot, consists of a four paddled rod which sits across the top of the fence and spins when the animal jumps up to go over. Cats get thrown safely back to their own side of the fence. A cheaper version of this is available from Bunnings (Rapidmesh black cat roller) 

The original design, the Coyote Roller  is not available in Australia.

The Oscillot is designed for fences a minimum of 1.8metres high.

The original Coyote Roller is made from aluminium.

A home-made roller from the RSCPA facebook page.

More ideas

Photo(left) flood-design stone wall, UK

Photo (middle) exit for small animals, UK

This fence on the Atherton Tablelands, although 4 strands of barbed wire, has a wildlife friendly fencing design as it was built below the ridge line. Ridge lines are a common hotspot for entanglement especially in windy conditions.