Wildlife friendly fencing

Flying fox on a barbed wire fence. Don't handle flying foxes: call the appropriate wildlife rescue group.

Every year thousands of animals face a cruel death on barbed wire fences. The barbs are a major hazard to wildlife, and the animals die, usually by being entangled on the top strand. More than 70 native species – especially nocturnal ones such as bats, owls and gliders – have been identified as occasional or regular victims of barbed wire fences.

Many can’t see the fence or just fail to clear it. If they’re rescued, most are too badly damaged to return to the wild. Kangaroos get hung up on fences that are too high, whether plain or barbed, and wetlands fenced too close to the water prevent wetland birds from taking off.

Wildlife friendly fencing is safe and effective for peopla, livestock and wildlife. It doesn’t entangle or harm wildlife and allows free movement of wildlife across rural and urban landscapes. Sometimes it may mean no fence at all – is a fence really necessary in every situation?

Kangaroo trapped in a ringlock fence

WFF avoids using barbed wire, especially on the top strand, and is useful in hotspots like ridgelines, feed trees, wildlife corridors, new fences and fences on or near water bodies. Most of the entanglements occur on the top strand of wire.

What you can do:

• Make the fence more visible. Nocturnal animals can see a 1cm-wide white tape that flickers in the wind better than a grey wire.
• Replace the top barbed strand with plain wire, or cover it with polypipe split longitudinally
• Plant trees to shorten the gliding distance for gliders between trees
• Monitor barbed wire fences in your area and encourage other landholders to go wildlife-friendly
• Visit www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com for advice and information.
• Report entangled animals to your local wildlife rescue organisation: www.fauna.org.au