AU656364B2 - Electrified animal repelling device - Google Patents

Description

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q i U 1 1 P/00/011 Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA 5 36 4 PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT 09 0 0 0 0 0 oo o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 o 0 0 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: THE AGRICULTURE PROTECTION BOARD OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA 3 Baron-Hay Court SOUTH PERTH W.A. 6151 ALLAN HARVEY FINLAYSON GRIFFITH HACK CO.

256 Adelaide Terrace PERTH W.A. 6000 Standard Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "ELECTRIFIED ANIMAL REPELLING DEVICE" Details of Associated Provisional Applications: PK5416 filed April 3, 1991 Details of Parent Application for Divisional Applications: "1 The following is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 2 ELECTRIFIED ANIMAL REPELLING DEVICE The present invention is directed to an electrified animal repelling device capable of repelling unwanted animals whilst allowing livestock to approach a prescribed area or an object, and is directed particularly, though not exclusively, to an electrified animal repelling device capable of repelling kangaroos from a watering trough.

The adverse effects of kangaroos on livestock farming and the pastoral industry in particular are well documented. Increasing populations of kangaroos compete with livestock for food and water causing damage to fences and destroying range land regeneration programs. A contributing factor to the increase in the number of kangaroos is the ready availability of artificial watering holes intended for 15 livestock but easily accessible by kangaroos. Watering 6 troughs fed by bore water are used for livestock in arid s Q regions and large numbers of kangaroos have been observed frequenting these troughs to drink.

The present invention was developed with a view to 20 providing an electrified animal repelling device for S°repelling kangaroos from watering troughs, however it will be understood that the basic concept has wider applicability.

o°b According to the present invention there is o~o o provided an electrified animal repelling device for repelling o 0 C S 25 unwanted animals from a prescribed area which encompasses a livestock drinking trough, the device comprising: 0 an electrified conductor suspended above ground a0 level and arranged so that animals wishing to enter said prescribed area must pass over said conductor ad wherein *o 30 said conductor is suspended at a prescribed height above ground level and located between 0.8 to 2.0 metres from the drinking trough whereby, in use, livestock animals can step over the conductor to drink from the drinking trough whereas unwanted animals tend to touch said conductor as they enter the prescribed area and are repelled by an electric shock.

Preferably said conductor is in the form of a wire arranged so that it completely surrounds the area.

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N1~t/t -3l: -Most preferably the wire is located approximately 1.1 metres from the trough.

Advantageously the wire is suspended from four anchor posts forming a rectangle, each post having an insulator connected thereto to insulate the wire from the ground.

Typically the wire is suspended between 1.0 and 30.0cm above ground level, most preferably approximately 4.0cm above ground level.

1o 0 Preferably said electrified wire is electrified by an electric charging device, typically a device that delivers a pulsed charge at predetermined intervals sufficient to repel said unwanted animals.

In order to facilitate a better understanding of the 15 invention, a preferred embodiment of the device for repelling o 0 kangaroos from a livestock drinking trough will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the 20 electrified animal repelling device surrounding a livestock drinking trough; and, A, Figure 2 is an enlargement of the circled area in 049P Figure 1, showing the manner in which an electrified conductor is suspended just above ground level.

25 Referring to the drawings it can be seen how an electrified conductor 10 is suspended just above ground level and arranged so that animals wishing to enter the area which encompasses a drinking trough 12, must pass over said conductor in order to get a drink. In the illustrated embodiment the conductor is in the form of 2.8mm galvanised cattle wire that completely surrounds the trough 12, and is suspended approximately 4cm above ground level. As can be seen in Figure 1, the wire is suspended from four anchor posts 14 forming a rectangle, each post 14 having an insulator 16 connected thereto to insulate the wire from the ground. Figure 2 is an enlargement of one of the anchor points showing the manner in Swhich the wire 10 is suspended from each anchor post 14.

C Referring to Figure 2, wire 10 passes through a small k 0~~ iA -4ceramic insulator 16 which is connected to a star picket 14 via a 1.5 inch high-tension spring 18, a chain coupling 20 and several windings of tie wire 22. The chain coupling 20 is provided to enable adjusting of the tension on the electrified wire 10, but can o ,viously be dispensed with. The star picket post 14 is cut tolapproximately 50cm in length and is driven into the ground with only approximately 8cm protruding above ground level. The wire 10 is held under tension by the springs 18, and springs 1.8 also provide resilience so that when an animal steps on the wire it tends to give under the weight of the animal, and when the animal removes its weight from the wire it returns to its suspended height of approximately 4cm o o o above ground level. Any suitable means of suspending the wire a0 10, that insulates the wire from ground and provides a degree of resilience, may be employed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the location of the wire 10 has been carefully selected with a view to repelling kangaroos from the drinking trough. The wire 10 is located approximately 1.1 metres from the waters edge on all sides of 20 the drinking trough so that even if a kangaroo manages to cross the wire to reach the trough, when it attempts to obtain a drink its tail will still be touching the wire 10 and it will receive a shock either through the tail or through its mouth when it touches the water in the trough. In this connection, 25 typically the wire 10 is electrified by an electric charging unit which is earthed to the drinking trough 12. Typically the earth circuit includes a brass conductor which is suspended in the water in the trough.

In all alternative arrangement an electrically.

conductive wire mesh such as, for example, reinforcing grid used in reinforcing concrete, may be placed on the ground surrounding the trough. The wire mesh or grid is connected to the earth terminal of the charging unit, so that the earth connection to ground through the kangaroos feet is improved.

Obviously, the distance between the wire 10 and the waters edge may be varied to suit the size of kangaroos in a particular area, for example, between 0.8 and 2.0 metres, to provide an effective deterrent. The electrified animal repelling device is able to differentiate between livestock and unwanted animals, such as kangaroos, by virtue of the fact that kangaroo feet and tails have a relatively large surface area compared to the feet of sheep or cattle. The low-lying electrified wire 10 that surrounds the trough may be overstepped by livestock approaching the trough, but in most cases will be contacted by a kangaroo's feet or tail. Since the ground surrounding the trough is often moist, due to spillage from the trough, a short circuit to ground through the kangaroo's feet or tail is often sufficient to repel the animal o ofrom the trough. However, in some cases, perhaps because the ooo ground is dry, the animal is not repelled until its mouth 4660 o°°o touches the water which then results in a short circuit through ~oQ4 o:0 the tail that delivers a full intensity shock.

ooo 15 Suitable electric charging devices are of the kind eI °oo used for charging electric fences such as, for example, the Gallagher B150 Fence Charger. This type of fence charger generates a pulsed charge, at predetermined intervals, of o approximately 1 joule. In the illustrated embodiment, the 0 0 20 charging unit 24 is located remote from the drinking.trough and 00 0 is powered by a 12 volt car battery (not visible) which is charged by a solar panel 26 providing 10 watt output power.

a The solar panel replenishes the battery charge during daylight hours so that the device can continue to operate at night time, which is when animals most frequently come to drink at the trough. Any suitable electric charging device can be employed.

The repelling device is not designed to injure the animals, and the shock generated by the electric charging unit is insufficient to cause injury but provides an effective deterrent for kangaroos attempting to drink from the watering trough.

Field trials have been conducted of the device and it was observed that 99 percent of attempts by kangaroos to drink at the trough were unsuccessful. Approximat-ely 17 percent of sheep attempting to drink at the trough received minor shocks to the legs, however these resulted in only short term disruption to the sheep drinking. Of the observed attempts at drinking by red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) 64 ir -6percent of shocks were received through the animals feet before reaching the water. Full intensity shocks (via the tail) were received in only 6 percent of cases when the kangaroo overstepped the wire and placed its mouth in the earthed water.

In an alternative embodiment the prescribed area encompasses a dam for livestock drinking water, and the electrical conductor is arranged to surround the dam. In this arrangement two or more substantially parallel wires suspended above ground level and spaced apart by about 30cms can be used to ensure the kangaroo's tail or feet come into contact with at least one of the wires as it attempts to enter the p prescribed area. The electrical conductors may also take the 0000 o° form of substantially rigid conductors supported above ground 000 44 level, such as hollow metal pipes.

Di 000 15 Now that a preferred embodiment of the electrified animal repelling device has been described in detail, it will be apparent that it is likely to provide an effective and low cost means of controlling kangaroos. It will also be apparent that suitable variations and modifications can be made to adapt the device for other applications. For example, the device 'could also be used for repelling crocodiles from prescribed areas, for example, camping grounds. All such variations and a'' modifications are to be considered within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description and the appended claims.

Claims (2)

1. An electrified animal repelling device for repelling unwanted animals from a prescribed area which encompasses a livestock drinking trough, the device comprising: an electrified conductor suspended above ground level and arranged so that animals wishing to enter said prescribed area must pass over said conductor and wherein said conductor is suspended at a prescribed height above ground level and located between 0.8 to 2.0 metres from the drinking trough whereby, in use, livestock animals can step over the conductor to drink from the drinking trough whereas unwanted animals tend to touch said conductor as they enter the prescribed area and are repelled by an electric shock. o 15 2. An animal repelling device as claimed in claim i, wherein said conductor is in the form of a substantially oo flexible wire arranged so that it completely surrounds said ao° prescribed area. cooo o 0. 3. An animal repelling device as claimed in claim 2, *ooar wherein said unwanted animals are kangaroos and said wire is arranged to touch the tail or feet of a kangaroo as it attempts to drink from the watering trough. oooo 99+ o 99+ o 9 4. An animal repelling device as claimed in claim 3, 999944 wherein said wire is located approximately 1.1 metres from oc* ~25 all four sides of the trough. 9 49 An animal repelling device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein said wire is suspended between 1.0 and

30.0 cm above ground level. 6. An animal repelling device as claimed in claim wherein said wire is suspended approximately 4.0 cm above ground level. 7. An animal repelling device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein said wire is suspended from four anchor posts forming a rectangle, each post having an O 35 electrical insulator to insulate the wire from the posts. gI -8- 8. An animal repelling device as claimed in claim 7, wherein each said insulator is connected to a respective post by resilient means whereby, in use, when an animal steps on the wire it tends to give under the weight of the animal, and when the animal removes its weight it returns to its former height above ground level. 9. An animal repelling device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an electric charging means for delivering a pulsed charge at predetermined intervals to the conductor sufficient to repel said unwanted animals. An animal repelling device substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 6 a Dated this 3rd day of April, 1992. or «91 t 15 THE AGRICULTURE PROTECTION BOARD OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA By Their Patent Attorneys: GRIFFITH HACK CO. Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia. S" j 1 -t ABSTRACT An electrified animal repelling device for repelling unwanted animals f row, a prescribed area, for example, kangaroos from livestock watering troughs, is disclosed. The device comprises an electrified conductor in the form of a flexible wire 10 susper.nded above ground level and arranged so that animals wishing to enter the prescribed area must pass over the conductor 10. The conductor is positioned so that selected animals tend to touch it as they enter the area and are repelled by an electric shock. In order to repel kangaroos from the drinking trough 12, the wire is suspended approximately 4cm above ground level from four anchor posts 14. Each post 14 has a ceramic insulator 16 connected thereto to o*ra insulate the wire from the ground. The wire 10 is electrified B, 08 o by an electric charging unit 24 which is earthed to the drinking trough 12. The charging unit 24 may be powered by a battery which is charged by solar panel 26. The solar panel replenishes the battery charge during daylight hours so that the device can continue to operate at night time, which is when most animals frecuent the drinking trough 12. 9 0 a. .'l *O 8 a