More fox baiting in Southern Tasmania – Why?

Residents of South Arm have recently been told their land is to be targeted for 1080-fox baiting in mid-September 2012. [No land owner is compelled to permit these poison baits to be put on their lands but it seems the fox program of DPIPWE wants to bait this peninsula in this spring.]

The question is, why?

This comes months after the Manager of this fox eradication program within DPIPWE, Craig Elliott, had told Tasmanians that the baiting in southern Tasmanian had been completed and that the baiters were moving into central Tasmania. Now it seems they are doubling back on themselves.

Why?

Did one of their trained fox-scent detection dogs find new evidence of foxes on the South Arm-Opossum Bay area? If so, why weren’t the residents notified of this?

Why is this area getting a dose of 1080 fox baits now?

According to the residents, they know of no evidence of [i]fox presence[/i] on the South Arm peninsula.

So does DPIPWE have any corroborated fox sightings in the South Arm area? Fox cubs perhaps ? Or a fox den?

Have there been any suspicious kills of domestic chickens, or lambs or shorebirds or native wildlife on South Arm that have been confirmed as fox kills?

What has precipitated this new wave of fox baiting in Southern Tasmania?

Answers please.