Most wild animals would flee at the sound of a potential hunter’s voice passing through dense thickets of tea tree. But in the southern part of the state, invasive wild boar and deer showed no fear of who or what these intruders were.
The wild boars were very close; we could smell them, hear their grunts, and sometimes even the sound of breaking branches echoing through the ravines. But without a thermal imager, spotting these animals, classified as pests, on one of the hottest days of the year would have been virtually impossible.
”There are deer tracks around every dam. For a long time, there were very few livestock on this land, and the 90 hectares (220 acres) were very dry,” said Tindell farmer Leonard Sanders.
For twenty years, the dam near the Queanbine River had not been used for grazing, but with a raging drought, Mr Sanders saw the dam almost dry, and the pressure on wild deer, wild boar and kangaroos was increasing.
He said, “Historically, these dams held a lot of water, but now they’re clearly dry. Yes, we had a dry season, but that’s because animals were drinking that water.”
”These reservoirs are designed to fight fires, provide water for livestock, and even irrigate land when needed, but they are actually empty, which clearly demonstrates how much water is consumed by wildlife in the area.”
Mr. Sanders said it had become impossible to restore the ranch and make it productive since he moved to the property permanently more than a year ago.
”Because so many deer and kangaroos graze in the fields, there’s no grass left. And every time there’s heavy rain, wild boars come and devastate the land,” he said.
”We can’t bring the soil back to life. When you go outside and see 30 pairs of eyes staring at a pasture, you want to give it a rest, but it can’t.”
With just three Galloway cows and one bull on over 90 hectares of land, preparing pasture that would soon be destroyed by pests was a huge challenge.
Mr. Sanders said: “Regenerative agriculture relies heavily on rotational grazing, but the amount of opportunities is limited. When you put cattle on pasture, and then kangaroos, deer, and wild boar from all over the area come and eat them, isn’t that a waste of effort?”
”Every inch of fertile land has been destroyed, and all this destruction is coming from one place – from a state-protected area.”
Mr Sanders said control measures in the neighbouring area, under the jurisdiction of NSW National Parks and Wildlife, were minimal, with aerial culling carried out about once a year and baiting programmes equally infrequent.
He said: “They really need to consult with landowners, but national parks don’t do that. They just do things their own way and don’t care about anyone else.”
”It only solved the problem in that small area, but it didn’t solve the problem that spread to other places. I don’t know what the solution is.”
Mr. Sanders said the risks associated with bringing in private hunters would only exacerbate the problem, ranging from liability issues to safety concerns in vast tracts of rugged terrain.
”Everyone wants to solve the problem, but you have to be very careful about who you turn to for help,” he said.
”You let one person in, and then they come out with their friends, and their friends’ friends come out with them. Suddenly, there are too many people coming out.”
Poachers, including illegal hunters with guns and hunting dogs, have been spotted in the national park. Some poachers have even crossed public roads to shoot at private ranches.
Mr Sanders said: “What is concerning is that we often hear isolated gunshots but don’t know where they are coming from.”
”It’s all part of wildlife management. If the government cooperated better, people wouldn’t allow these private hunters to go hunting so often, because the problem could, in principle, be solved.”
A spokesman for the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (which manages national parks across the state) said more than 2,803 wild animals had recently been shot in the southern NSW National Parks region, including in protected areas near and around Mr Reynolds’ property.
”In 2024-2025, the National Park Service and Wildlife Service captured 2,803 wild animals from the air, including 2,123 deer and 429 wild boar,” the report said.
The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) conducts an aerial monitoring program at the end of each summer, primarily to control deer, wild boar, and feral goats. NPWS also conducts seasonal ground monitoring programs as needed to manage wild boar populations in these protected areas.
A spokesman for the agency said the National Parks and Wildlife Service regularly works with neighboring landowners and local land agencies to control pest populations.
”The National Parks and Wildlife Service will continue to work with local communities on inter-regional pest management programs, including keeping them informed of upcoming pest management plans,” they said.
”The National Parks and Wildlife Service works with neighbouring countries, land managers, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and national coordinating agencies to manage wildlife and weeds on privately owned land.”
Eliza is a journalist based in the border region between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, covering the Southern Highlands, Monaro, and the South Coast. She previously worked in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) North Coast bureau and as a rural correspondent for The Guardian Australia. She can be reached at eliza.spencer@theland.com.au.
Eliza is a journalist based in the border region between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, covering the Southern Highlands, Monaro, and the South Coast. She previously worked in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) North Coast bureau and as a rural correspondent for The Guardian Australia. She can be reached at eliza.spencer@theland.com.au.
Post time: Jan-12-2026