When landholders first contact Peachester Rural Services, one of the most common questions is whether they need a “survey” or a “control operation.” The two terms describe genuinely different engagements with different purposes. Here’s how to think about which is right for your situation.
What Is a Thermal Survey?
A thermal survey is an observation-only engagement. The operator moves through the property at night using thermal imaging to detect, count and record the location of pest animals — but does not cull. The output is a written report containing:
- Species confirmed present
- Estimated population size and density
- GPS-mapped activity hotspots and movement corridors
- Assessment of terrain and access for a follow-up control operation
- Recommendation for control timing and approach
A survey is useful when you need to understand the scale of your problem before committing to control, when you need population baseline data for documentation purposes, or when you’re applying for a grant or council program that requires a pre-control survey.
What Is a Control Operation?
A control operation combines observation with active culling. The operator detects, assesses and engages target animals, recording the GPS location of each encounter. The output is a comprehensive written GPS report containing:
- Cull totals by species and by night
- GPS-logged cull locations (individually or by cluster)
- Activity hotspot map
- Pre- and post-operation population density estimates
- Carcass management record
- Follow-up recommendation
This is the most common engagement for most landholders — it delivers both the documentation of active management and the population reduction in a single operation.
When to Choose Survey First
Consider a survey-first approach if:
- You’ve seen signs of activity but aren’t sure how many animals are involved
- You need a population baseline document for a grant, insurance or council program
- You manage a conservation property and need population trend data over time
- You want to understand where animals are concentrated before scheduling control on a large or complex property
When to Go Straight to Control
In most cases where there is clear evidence of significant activity — active wallows, visible rooting damage, multiple recent sign — you can proceed directly to a control operation. The control operation itself produces before-and-after population estimates, so it delivers the documentation value of a survey plus the population reduction in the same engagement.