Bait uptake by feral cats on French Island, Victoria.

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. Johnston ◽  
M.J. Shaw ◽  
A. Robley ◽  
N.K. Schedvin
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Rhodamine B ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Control Technique ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Broad Scale

Management of feral cat (Felis catus) populations is currently limited by the lack of a control technique that is cost-effective, target-specific and suitable for broad-scale application. This paper describes two non-toxic bait acceptance trials undertaken on French Island in Western Port, Victoria in south?eastern Australia. Moist meat baits were injected with the marker Rhodamine B (RB), and surface distributed along the existing road and firebreak network. Subsequent trapping of feral cats facilitated collection of whiskers, which were analysed using ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy for the presence of RB marking. Twenty-four and forty-seven cats respectively were recovered in each trial with fifty per cent of these individuals found to have consumed at least one bait in either trial. Results are discussed with reference to the development of a felid-specific toxicant baiting technique.

The Influence of Land Use and Location on Landholder Attitudes Towards Feral Cat (Felis catus) Management in South-eastern Australia

Human Ecology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke P. Deak ◽  
Bertram Ostendorf ◽  
Douglas K. Bardsley ◽  
David A. Taggart ◽  
David E. Peacock
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
South Eastern Australia

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%.

Evaluation of risks for two native mammal species from feral cat baiting in monsoonal tropical northern Australia

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Heiniger ◽  
Skye F. Cameron ◽  
Graeme Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
Rhodamine B ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Dry Tropics

Context Feral cats are a significant threat to native wildlife and broad-scale control is required to reduce their impacts. Two toxic baits developed for feral cats, Curiosity® and Hisstory®, have been designed to reduce the risk of baiting to certain non-target species. These baits involve encapsulating the toxin within a hard-shelled delivery vehicle (HSDV) and placing it within a meat attractant. Native animals that chew their food more thoroughly are predicted to avoid poisoning by eating around the HSDV. This prediction has not been tested on wild native mammals in the monsoonal wet–dry tropics of the Northern Territory. Aim The aim of this research was to determine whether northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) and northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus) would take feral cat baits and ingest the HSDV under natural conditions on Groote Eylandt. Methods We hand-deployed 120 non-toxic baits with a HSDV that contained a biomarker, Rhodamine B, which stains animal whiskers when ingested. The species responsible for bait removal was determined with camera traps, and HSDV ingestion was measured by evaluating Rhodamine B in whiskers removed from animals trapped after baiting. Key results During field trials, 95% of baits were removed within 5 days. Using camera-trap images, we identified the species responsible for taking baits on 65 occasions. All 65 confirmed takes were by native species, with northern quolls taking 42 baits and northern brown bandicoots taking 17. No quolls and only one bandicoot ingested the HSDV. Conclusion The use of the HSDV reduces the potential for quolls and bandicoots to ingest a toxin when they consume feral cat baits. However, high bait uptake by non-target species may reduce the efficacy of cat baiting in some areas. Implications The present study highlighted that in the monsoonal wet–dry tropics, encapsulated baits are likely to minimise poisoning risk to certain native species that would otherwise eat meat baits. However, further research may be required to evaluate risks to other non-target species. Given the threat to biodiversity from feral cats, we see it as critical to continue testing Hisstory® and Curiosity® in live-baiting trials in northern Australia.

Broad-scale environmental gradients among estuarine benthic macrofaunal assemblages of south-eastern Australia: implications for monitoring estuaries

2004 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alastair J. Hirst
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Environmental Gradient ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Macrofaunal Community ◽  
Broad Spatial Scale ◽  
Broad Scale ◽  
South Eastern Australia

The importance of abiotic factors in explaining patterns of estuarine benthic macrofaunal community structure was examined on a broad spatial scale across south-eastern Australia. Macrofaunal communities were surveyed using an Ekman grab and a modified epibenthic sled (dredge) at each sampling site: data for 24 environmental variables were also collected. Twenty-eight estuaries were sampled on a single occasion during late summer at three stratified locations within each estuary (upper, mid and lower). Macrofaunal community composition was best explained by a common environmental gradient summarising variation in both salinity and longitude. Hence, although the distribution of macrofaunal taxa can be clearly linked to changes in salinity, the geographical position of the sites along an east–west axis, rather than a generalised down-stream gradient, appears to best explain the data. This association was primarily linked to broad-scale changes in estuarine morphology across the geographical range of this survey. A sediment-based environmental gradient among grab samples, but not dredge samples, reflected the largely infaunal nature of the grab samples. In general, the present survey did not support the classification of estuarine assemblages on the basis of a range of physical parameters but, instead, emphasised the continuity of estuarine benthic macrofaunal community structure on a broad spatial scale.

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.

scholarly journals Predicting targets and costs for feral-cat reduction on large islands using stochastic population models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn R. W. Venning ◽  
Frédérik Saltré ◽  
Corey J. A. Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Density Reduction ◽  
Founding Population ◽  
Final Population ◽  
Capture Techniques

AbstractFeral cats are one of the most destructive invasive predators worldwide. Due to the high risk of feral predators pushing native species to extinction in Australia, density-reduction or eradication campaigns can improve the persistence probability and recovery of native fauna. Kangaroo Island — Australia’s third-largest island — was recently nominated as a complete cat-eradication site by the federal government. Because many population density-reduction campaigns are costly and not effective in the long term, mathematical models predicting optimal culling regimes can guide management plans, especially if they include estimates of costs under different policy decisions. We constructed a stochastic population model with cost estimates to test the relative effectiveness and cost-efficiency of two main culling scenarios for Kangaroo Island to 2030: (1) constant proportional annual cull (one-phase), and (2) high initial culling followed by a constant proportional maintenance cull (two-phase). We also examined the effectiveness of a trap-neuter-release scenario to compare with the culling outcomes. We found that an average culling proportion of ≥ 0.3 would reduce the population to ≤ 0.1 of the founding population, while a two-phase cull where an initial cull of ≥ 0.6 was followed by a maintenance cull of ≥ 0.45 would reduce the final population to 0.01 of its initial size by 2030. Costs estimates varied widely depending on capture techniques used, but a combination of Felixer™ cat-eradication units, conventional traps, and hunting was the most cost-effective in the two-phase culling scenario when hunting is used to make up culling shortfalls (minimum costs estimated at AU$46.5 million–AU$51.6 million with an initial cull of ≥ 0.6, maintenance cull of ≥ 0.45). Trap-neuter-release was an inefficient approach compared to the culling scenarios. Our model results provided direction for the efficient eradication of feral cats on Kangaroo Island and can be transferred to feral-cat management elsewhere.

scholarly journals Status of urban feral cats Felis catus in England: A comparative study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas P. Askew ◽  
Flavie Vial ◽  
Graham C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Colony Size ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Turn Of The Century ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Rabies Control ◽  
Contingency Plans ◽  
Control Order

AbstractThis study sought to determine whether a change in the abundance of feral cats (Felis catus) in three areas of England had occurred between the completion of a survey undertaken by the Ministry for Agriculture Fisheries and Food in 1986/7 and the turn of the century. In the event of a rabies outbreak occurring in Britain, feral cats would be one vector of the disease that would need to be controlled under the Rabies (control) Order 1974. A total of 741 “high risk sites”, found to provide appropriate conditions for feral cats, were surveyed between 1999 and 2000. The total number of feral cat colonies located within the survey areas was found to have fallen by 37% from 68 in 1986 to 43 in 1999/2000, translating to an estimated 212-247 fewer individual feral cats. Factories/trading estates and industrial premises continued to be the most common sites associated with urban feral cat colonies. However, the closing down of many traditional industries, such as mills and dockyards, and their replacement by more secure and insulated modern buildings, less amenable to feral cats finding warmth and food, had assisted the observed fall in numbers along with the effectiveness of neutering programs which are now taking place on many sites. Through this study information regarding feral cat colonies’ in urban landscapes as well colony size was gathered and fed into rabies contingency plans to help keep Britain rabies free into the future.

scholarly journals ANALISIS PERILAKU MASYARAKAT PASAR MENGENAI PENGGUNAAN RODENTISIDA DAN DAMPAKNYA TERHADAP KUCING LIAR

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-113
Author(s):  
Nurul Fadhilatunnisa ◽  
Sudarti Sudarti ◽  
Wachju Subchan
Keyword(s):  
Felis Catus ◽  
Moderate Level ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Inappropriate Use ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
High Level

Inappropriate use of rodenticides by most market communities has resulted in a reduction in the population of feral cats (Felis catus) found in the market. If this continues, it can lead to the extinction of feral cat species in the area. This study aims to describe the level of knowledge and attitudes of the market community regarding the use of rodenticides and their impact on feral cats (Felis catus). This study used a survey method, namely interviews and observations of 28 respondents who claimed to have used rodenticides. The results showed that 35.7% of respondents had a low level of knowledge, 39.3% had a moderate level of knowledge, and 25% had a high level of knowledge. As for the attitude aspect, the majority of the community obtained quite good criteria with an average of 68.

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