Translocation Of Mala (Lagorchestes Hirsutus) From The Tanami Desert, Northern Territory To Trimouille Island, Western Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Langford ◽  
AA Burbidge
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Red List ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Conservation Park ◽  
Red List Categories ◽  
Black Rats

In June 1998, 30 mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus undescribed central Australian subspecies) were translocated from a semi-captive colony in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory to Trimouille Island, part of the Montebello Islands Conservation Park, off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. Mala are ?Extinct in the Wild? according to IUCN (1994, 2000) Red List Categories and Criteria. The translocation was made possible by the eradication of black rats (Rattus rattus) and confirmation of the absence of feral cats (Felis catus), which were recorded on the island in the 1970s. Post-release monitoring up to October 2001 showed that mala were breeding and expanding the area occupied.

Eradicating Feral Cats to protect Galapagos Land Iguanas: methods and strategies

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. B. Phillips ◽  
B. D. Cooke ◽  
K. Campbell ◽  
V. Carrion ◽  
C. Marouez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Mus Musculus ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Galapagos Archipelago ◽  
Rodent Populations ◽  
Black Rats

A three-year programme to eradicate Feral Cats Felis catus from the island of Baltra in the Galapagos archipelago achieved good results by initially poisoning with sodium monofluoroacetate (compound 1080) then trapping or shooting the remaining cats. The poisoning campaign removed 90% of the cats, its success being attributable to pre-baiting with unpolsoned baits to accustom cats to eating baits and placing enough baits to ensure that all cats encountered several baits within their home range. This, together with the use of metaclopromide (Pileran) as an anti-emetic, overcame a problem associated with poor retention of 1080 in thawed fish baits that limited the dose available to 1 mg 1080/bait, a quality insufficient to kill large cats. Removal of the remaining cats was delayed by a weather-induced irruption of Black Rats Rattus rattus and House Mice Mus musculus that enabled recruitment of kittens in 2002, but made cats more susceptible to trapping and shooting in 2003 when rodent populations collapsed. Since July 2003 no sign of a cat has been detected on Baltra despite extensive searching and monitoring throughout 2004. As cat abundance has decreased there have been more locally-bred Juvenile iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) seen during annual censuses. However, such recruitment may reflect the increasing maturity and higher fecundity of iguanas repatriated from 1991 onwards rather than being a direct result of reduced cat predation alone. More time is necessary to determine the benefits of reduced cat predation on the Iguana population.

Leptospira Species in Feral Cats and Black Rats from Western Australia and Christmas Island

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 319-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narelle A. Dybing ◽  
Caroline Jacobson ◽  
Peter Irwin ◽  
David Algar ◽  
Peter J. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Christmas Island ◽  
Leptospira Species ◽  
Black Rats

Diet of the Feral Cat (Felis catus) in Central Australia

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Paltridge ◽  
David Gibson ◽  
Glenn Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Southern Half ◽  
Central Australia

Feral cats (Felis catus) occur throughout central Australia. In this study, we analysed the stomach contents of 390 feral cats collected between 1990 and 1994 from the southern half of the Northern Territory. Cats fed on a wide variety of invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals, including animals up to their own body mass in size. Mammals were the most important prey but reptiles were regularly eaten in summer and birds were important in winter. Invertebrates were present in the diet in all seasons. Carrion appeared in stomach samples during dry winters only and this has implications for future control of feral cats.

Increasing the target-specificity of ERADICAT® for feral cat (Felis catus) control by encapsulating a toxicant

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl A. Hetherington ◽  
David Algar ◽  
Harriet Mills ◽  
Roberta Bencini
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Ball Bearings ◽  
Target Specificity ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Selective Method ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Potential Exposure ◽  
Significant Difference

ERADICAT®, a sausage-type meat bait, has been developed for use in managing feral cat (Felis catus) populations throughout Western Australia. However, concern about potential exposure of non-target species to bait-delivered toxicants has led to the development of a technique to more specifically target feral cats using a pellet. Research into the consumption, by cats and native animals, of toxic pellets implanted within the ERADICAT® bait has been simulated using ball bearings as a substitute pellet. Results from our work indicate that encapsulating the toxicant may pose less risk of poisoning to chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii), woylies (Bettongia pencillata) and southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) as they consumed significantly fewer ball bearings (P = 0.003, <0.001, <0.001) than semi-feral cats (P = 0.07). Theoretically, a toxic pellet will not reduce the effectiveness of the ERADICAT® bait as there was no significant difference between consumption of baits and the consumption of ball bearings in feral cats (P = 0.07). Therefore, baits containing a toxic pellet have the potential to be a more selective method to control feral cats.

Australian Rainforest Fruits

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Cooper ◽  
William Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Ripe Fruit ◽  
Field Guide ◽  
Botanical Knowledge ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cape York

This beautifully illustrated field guide covers 504 of the most common fruiting plants found in Australia's eastern rainforests, as well as a few species that are rare in the wild but generally well-known. These spectacular plants can be seen from Cape York to Victoria, with some species also found in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and overseas. Rainforest fruits are often beautifully coloured, and in this guide the species are arranged by colour of ripe fruit, then by size and form. Five broad categories – pink to purple, blue to black, yellow and orange to red, green to brown, and white – allow people with even limited botanical knowledge to identify rainforest fruits. Each species description is accompanied by a leaf drawing, a distribution map, and diagnostic characters to help the reader distinguish similar species. Australian Rainforest Fruits includes stunning artwork by Australia’s leading natural history artist, William T Cooper. It will be sought not just by bushwalkers and natural history enthusiasts, but also by those who admire botanical art at its best.

scholarly journals Descriptions of the vocalisations of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 137-144
Author(s):  
Patrick Webster ◽  
◽  
Nigel Jackett ◽  
George Swann ◽  
Nicholas Leseberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Visual Representations ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Vocal Repertoire ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Survey Results

Button-quail (Turnicidae) are a greatly understudied family of birds; their cryptic habits make studying them in the wild challenging. They are known to be quite vocal which could assist with detectability, and so it follows that survey results will be more reliable as knowledge about button-quail vocal repertoire increases. Until recently, there were no published vocal recordings of the Chestnut-backed Button-quail Turnix castanotus, and descriptions and accounts of this species’ vocalisations were limited. We recorded vocalisations of Chestnut-backed Button-quail at six locations across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Three broad vocalisation types were identified: advertising ooms, drumming, and contact calls. We present descriptions and visual representations of these vocalisations, and draw comparisons with previously published accounts of this species, and other Australian button-quail.

The diet of cats, Felis catus, on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 279 ◽  
Author(s):  
CR Tidemann ◽  
HD Yorkston ◽  
AJ Russack
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Christmas Island ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Invertebrate Animals

Cats, Felis catus, were taken to Christmas Island (10�25'S,105�40'E) in the Indian Ocean at the time of first settlement in 1888 and a feral population became established soon thereafter. In 1988 a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate animals was present in the diet of these feral cats, but flying-foxes, Pteropus melanotus, fruit pigeons, Ducula whartoni, and introduced rats, Rattus rattus, together constituted 80% of their food intake by weight. Of the guts examined, 45% contained R. rattus, and this species accounted for 31% of food intake by weight. Less than 10% of cat guts contained P. melanotus and D. whartoni, but the large body weights of these species meant that by weight they made up 21% and 28% respectively. Mus musculus was found in 27% of guts examined, although it contributed only 2% by weight. It is likely that the large numbers of feral cats present in vegetative regrowth on mined areas are related to the ease with which all four primary prey species may be caught there. No evidence was found that cats are having a deleterious effect on native species and they may well be beneficial in stabilising the numbers of R. rattus, which itself can be a serious predator of nesting birds.

scholarly journals Monitoring invasive mammalian predator populations sharing habitat with the Critically Endangered Puerto Rican parrot Amazona vittata

Oryx ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Engeman ◽  
Desley Whisson ◽  
Jessica Quinn ◽  
Felipe Cano ◽  
Pedro Quiñones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
The World ◽  
Mammalian Predators ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Amazona Vittata ◽  
Black Rats

Critically Endangered Puerto Rican parrots Amazona vittata are one of the rarest birds in the world. Several exotic mammal species capable of preying on Puerto Rican parrots cohabit the Caribbean National Forest with the only wild population of these parrots. We used tracking plates, monitoring blocks and trapping to index black rats, small Indian mongooses and feral cats in parrot habitat and in public-use areas in the same habitat type. We had high trap success for black rats at all sites (42% of all sites combined), among the highest reported in the world. Rat response to monitoring (nontoxic bait) blocks was universally high, regardless of ground or tree placement. Mongooses were present at all sites, with a greater proportion of plates tracked within the forest than at public-use sites. Cats were present at all forest sites and one of the public-use sites. Presence of the three species did not appear to be linked to human disturbance. Because only 30–40 Puerto Rican parrots survive in the wild, with as few as three pairs nesting in 2002, we concluded that the abundance and pervasiveness of exotic mammalian predators poses a greater threat to the parrots than has been generally acknowledged. This is evidenced by mammalian predation during recent parrot breeding seasons, including six fledglings taken by mongooses and one nest failure from rats during 2000–2003.

Biology of the Feral Cat, Felis Catus (L.), On Macquarie Island.

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 425 ◽  
Author(s):  
NP Brothers ◽  
IJ Skira ◽  
GR Copson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Macquarie Island ◽  
Pregnant Females

246 feral cats were shot on Macquarie Island, Australia, between Dec. 1976 and Feb. 1981. The sex ratio ( males : females ) was 1:0.8. The percentages of animals with tabby, orange and black coats were 74, 26 and 2 resp. [sic]. Of the 64 orange cats, 56 were males . The breeding season was Oct.-Mar., with a peak in Nov.-Dec. The number of embryos in the 14 pregnant females averaged 4.7 (range = 1-9). The size of the 23 litters that were observed averaged 3 (range = 1-8). Kitten survival to 6 months of age was estimated to be <43%.

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