Wildlife friendly fencing

Fencing can cause all sorts of problems for wildlife. Gliding possums,bats and birds (particularly nocturnal birds like owls) get caught in barbed wire. Echidnas get electrocuted when they try to climb under an electric fence, while koalas can get caught when trying to climb a fence.

However, without a doubt, kangaroos are the most common victims of fencing in the Macedon Ranges.

Kangaroo 'fencehanging' occurs when a kangaroo attempts to jump a fence but misses the top. Instead its leg(s), pass between the top wire and the next one down. The body then flies forward over the top and as it falls towards the ground, the legs act like a stick in the wires, pulling the second wire over the top wire and trapping the leg(s) tight and acting like a tourniquet. If the fence is high or the roo is small the body may be suspended off the ground; if the roo is bigger or the fence is lower, the body may be partially on the ground. Either way the result is the same - no hope of escape without assistance. The animal dies slowly of capture myopathy (fear response) or dehydration, or is eaten alive by predators.

Wildlife Friendly Fencing Ideas

Here are some suggestions of things you can do to protect wildlife from becoming entangled in your fencing:

New Fencing

1) Post and rail fencing is the most wildlife friendly fencing for all wildlife species as it is highly visible and animals can go UNDER the rails, and there is NO chance of entanglement

2) Single strand wire fences can be wildlife friendly IF

  • the wires are visible (see point 1 in next section), and
  • the top wire and the next one down are far enough apart and kept taut so that they cannot come together to capture a foot/leg
  • there is a gap of at least 30-50cm between the ground and the first strand of fence so wildlife can go UNDER the fence rather than having to go OVER the fence 

3) If you require more substantial fencing than strand fencing do not use open profile wires like deer wire and ringlock. These are the types of wire that a roo's leg can easily get entrapped in as described above. Instead use chicken wire or cyclone wire as the hole profile is too small for the leg of a roo to go through. Mark top of fence with white tape, and DO NOT add single strands of wire to the top of the fence.

Photos of wildlife friendly fencing - post and rail is easy to see and impossible to get tangled in; Strand fencing allowing animals to go under fencing rather than over; cyclone fencing with a clear top rail

4) Consider if you really require a fence, or if you could define your property border and enhance your privacy using vegetation

5) If its not possible to make your whole fenceline wildlife friendly, making sections of your fenceline safe is still really helpful for wildlife, so long as it it the sections they use. Refer to the section 'Work out where wildlife crosses your fenceline'.

 

Making existing fencing wildlife friendly

1) Make the fencing clearly visible for wildlife. This can be done in a variety of ways:
- Use white electric fence tape or white strand wire to mark the top of the fence. This provides good visibility
- Tie CDs or aluminium plant tags to fences to improve visibility. Tags need to be placed at 30cm intervals
- Split poly-pipe over fencing to improve visibility
 

Photos of wildlife friendly fencing - strand fencing that animals can easily get underneath and with strands far enough apart that entanglement is impossible; various markers to make fencing more visible for wildlife

2) Allow wildlife to go UNDER the fence rather than having to go OVER the fence. This can be done by removing the bottom strands of a fence leaving a gap of approximately 30-50cm between the ground and the first strand of fence. If its not possible to do this for the full length of the fence, remove the bottom strands at least at the point where wildlife commonly crosses the fenceline. THis will particularly help the smaller animals and the young kangaroos

3) Remove top strands of wire to reduce the height of the fence, so that wildlife can more easily clear the fence. This also reduces the likelihood of entanglement

4) Remove barbed wire - this will protect gliding possums and birds particularly

5) If its not possible to make your whole fenceline wildlife friendly, making sections of your fenceline safe is still really helpful for wildlife, so long as it it the sections they use. Refer to the section 'Work out where wildlife crosses your fenceline'.

 

Work out where wildlife crosses your fenceline

Generally, wildlife travels through properties using the EXACT same path every time, They have been using these paths for generations and will continue to do so. This is particularly true of kangaroos and wallabies, echidnas and wombats. An obstacle (such as a fence) across this path can cause problems for both the wildlife and the obstacle. You can find where these paths are on your property by observing local wildlife movement and watching where they cross your fenceline. You will also likely see paths through the grass at these commonly used crossing points.

You can keep wildlife safe from fencing by creating 'gateways' in your fencing at these crossing spots. This can be done by either:

  • Removing the fence entirely at the crossing point, or
  • Cutting the fence down to the lowest possible height at this point, for a minimum width of about 1 metre

In cases where this has been done, in no time at all ALL wildlife species - including birds - in the area have been witnessed to come to the gate to cross the fence

 

Finally ....

Please check your fences regularly to ensure no wildlife has become entangled. If you find trapped animals, do not attempt to release them yourself. Call Wildlife Victorias 24 emergency number 03 8400 7300 for assistance from an experienced wildlife rescuer

We would like to thank www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com for some of the photos and ideas on this page.