Feral buffalo numbers nearing 200,000 head, NT wildlife experts say more culling needed

Wildlife management experts say feral buffalo numbers are “out of control” as more landowners in the Top End choose to muster buffalo for commercial gain, rather than reducing the population via aerial culling programs.

According to research from Territory Natural Resource Management (TNRM), the consequence of less culling has accelerated the population growth, and there is now an estimated 187,000 feral buffalo roaming the Northern Territory.

TNRM project officer and agricultural scientist Susanne Casanova said the population had increased by at least 26,000 head, or 17 per cent in the past year.

“It is a long-term increase and there does not seem to be a way to keep up with it, to be honest,” she said.

“[There’s talk] of live…