A review of the 'noose and flag' method to capture free-ranging koalas

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Madani ◽  
K. R. Ashman ◽  
V. S. A. Mella ◽  
D. A. Whisson
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Species Status ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
South West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Research Population ◽  
Capture Method ◽  
Free Ranging

The capture of free-ranging individuals is often needed for research, population management and health assessment. Because of its iconic and threatened species status, methods to capture koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) receive disproportionate scrutiny. We collated data on koala capture frequency, duration held by noose and incidents from six studies of koalas in Victoria and New South Wales that all used the ‘noose and flag’ method as the primary method of capture. Adverse events occurred in less than 1% of all captures (7 of 1236). Mean capture time in three of four locations recording duration held by noose was less than five minutes, minimising the duration of distress to the koala while allowing researchers to maintain control over the animal. The exception to this was a study in far south-west Victoria where trees were tall and koalas were relatively unresponsive to flagging, resulting in a longer mean duration held by noose (11.2 minutes). The reviewed capture data of the ‘noose and flag’ method suggest that this is an effective and safe capture method, allowing for capture of multiple individuals in a short period, and suitable for most habitat types and situations.

Aspects of the Ecology of the Koala, Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss), in Tucki Tucki Nature Reserve, New South Wales

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
BC Gall
Keyword(s):  
Nature Reserve ◽  
New South ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Local Movement ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Parent Female

A study of the koala colony in the 4-ha Tucki Tucki Nature Reserve in northern New South Wales was carried out between March 1972 and February 1976. The Reserve supported a resident adult population of 11 or 12 koalas, comprising three males and eight or nine females, and a mean total population of 26.5. Resident koalas engage in a high degree of local movement. Females are mature at the beginning of their third year and normally raise one young per year to independence. Males may not be fully mature till the commencement of their fourth year. Young are independent of the parent female at 12 months and disperse during their second year if unable to secure a vacant place in the Reserve. Dispersed koalas either take up residence in an adjoining colony, become nomads, or perish. During the study, all three resident males died over a short period. The gradual return to a stable population is examined.

Cumulative reproductive performance effect on overall lifetime productivity in Merino sheep

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1470
Author(s):  
J. S. Richards ◽  
M. A. Sladek ◽  
G. J. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
New South ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The South ◽  
Performance Effect ◽  
South West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Effect Of Age

Reproduction is an important driver of profitability in commercial sheep flocks. Historically, Merino flocks have been run with a fixed age structure, ignoring individual merit and casting for age at a specific age. More recently, research has focussed on utilising the variation within age groups by keeping productive older ewes longer and culling less productive ewes earlier. Previous studies have also examined the effect of age on reproduction and the impact of reproduction status on productivity, but little research has been conducted on cumulative effects of reproductive performance on later productivity, reproduction and health. The present study examined the impact of higher lifetime reproduction on other key production and fitness traits in older ewes run under commercial conditions. Data were collected from two commercial wool-producing properties in the South West Slopes and the Central West Plains of New South Wales during 2009–2011. Reproduction, fleece measurements, bodyweight and condition and dental health were recorded during the study. The results showed that age had a bigger effect on productivity and dental health than did cumulative lifetime reproduction. Environment and genetics determined the level of impact, with minimal loss in productivity from increased age of animals occurring in the South West Slopes flock, whereas the Central West Plains flock would appear to require closer monitoring of productivity as ewes aged. The data collected did not allow separation of the genetic and environmental influences within the study. Retaining animals with a higher reproductive performance past normal culling age does not necessarily result in reduction of productivity or ewe health, but this must be monitored.

Further Studies of Lung Parasites (Nematoda) From Australian Marsupials.

1984 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 283 ◽  
Author(s):  
DM Spratt
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Trichosurus Vulpecula ◽  
Monotypic Genus ◽  
New Host ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Histological Sections ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Host Parasite

Seven new taxa in two families of metastrongyloid nematodes are described from the lungs of five host species belonging to the Dasyuridae, Phalangeridae and Macropodidae. Filaroides (Filaroides) athertonensis, sp. nov., (Filaroididae) is described from Thylogale stigmatica Gould in north Queensland. The following species of Marsupostrongylus Mackerras & Sandars, 1953, (Angiostrongylidae) are described as new: M. parallelus, sp. nov., from Satanellus hallucatus (Could) in the Northern Territory; M. pseudominesi, sp. nov., from Trichosurus vulpecula johnstonii (Ramsay) in north Queensland; M. vandiemeni, sp. nov., from macro pus rufogriseus rufogriseus (Desmarest) in Tasmania; and M. wallabiae, sp. nov., from Wallabia bicolor (Desmarest) and Macropus rufogriseus banksianus (Quoy & Gaimard) in New South Wales. To the formerly monotypic genus Filostrongylus Mackenas, 1955, (Angiostrongylidae) is added F. tridendriticus, sp. nov., described from Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr) in Tasmania. The genus Cosmostrongylus (Angiostrongylidae) is described as new, with a single species C. conspectus, sp. nov., from Thylogale stigmatica Gould in north Queensland. Durikainema sp. (Muspiceoidea: Robertdollfusidae) is diagnosed in histological sections of the lungs of Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss), Macropus agilis (Could) and M. giganteus Shaw. Keys to the genera of lung parasites and to all species of Filaroides, Marsupostrongylus and Filostrongylus known from Australian marsupials, new host and new geographic records of known taxa, and a host-parasite list of lung parasites of Australian marsupials, including those known only from histological sections of lung tissue, are provided.

The effects of age, sex, reproductive status and temporal factors on the time-use of free-ranging red kangaroos

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 785 ◽  
Author(s):  
DM Watson ◽  
TJ Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Time Use ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Foraging Time

The effects of temporal (time of day and season) factors and size, sex, female reproductive state and group size on the diel time-use of free-ranging red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) was examined. Particular emphasis was given to the effects on their foraging behaviour, with foraging divided into cropping, chewing and searching components. The study was conducted in semi-arid western New South Wales from July 1991 to March 1992, a time of deepening drought conditions in New South Wales. Group size had very little influence on the time-use of M. rufus. It was negatively but only weakly correlated with the proportion of foraging time spent chewing (chewing intensity). No significant differences in time-use were found between size classes of adult males (large and medium-sized males), females with or without pouch young, or females with different-sized pouch young (no visible young, small pouch young or large pouch young). Differences occurred between adult males, adult females and subadult kangaroos. These differences were mainly associated with their chewing and searching behaviour and were related to body size; as body size increased the proportion of time spent chewing and the intensity of chewing increased while the proportion of time searching and the proportion of foraging time spent searching (searching intensity) decreased. Neither the proportion of time spent cropping or foraging nor the proportion of foraging time spent cropping (cropping intensity) or the proportion of active time spent foraging (foraging intensity) differed between any size/sex/reproductive class. Temporal effects had a considerable influence on time-use. M. rufus were most active at night and in the few hours after sunrise and sunset. Seasonal changes in time-use were largely a result of changes in daytime behaviour. M. rufus foraged less and rested more during the day in winter than in spring or summer. There was no increase in the intensity or proportion of time spent foraging or cropping at night to compensate for the reduction in diurnal foraging. It is hypothesised that temporal variations in time-use were related to variations in weather and vegetation conditions.

Distributions of species of the Antechinus stuartii-A. flavipes complex as predicted by bioclimatic modelling

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Crowther
Keyword(s):  
High Temperatures ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Climatic Indices ◽  
Far North ◽  
South West ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Bioclimatic Modelling ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii

Previous work on bioclimatic mapping of species within the Antechinus stuartii–A. flavipes complex has been carried out, but this was before A. subtropicus was recognised and a complete taxonomic revision of the complex had been completed. This revised study of bioclimatic modelling of species within the A. stuartii–A. flavipes complex indicates substantial differences between the four species (A. stuartii, A. agilis, A. subtropicus and A. flavipes) in 35 climatic indices. A. stuartii is predicted to have a near-coastal distribution in northern and central New South Wales stretching as far south as Kioloa and as far north as south-eastern Queensland, avoiding the far coastal strip. A. agilis is predicted to have an extensive distribution in Victoria and southern New South Wales as far north as western Sydney; it is also predicted to occur in Tasmania, even though there is no evidence of it ever occurring there. A. flavipes is predicted to have an extensive inland and coastal distribution much larger than its recorded distribution. A. subtropicus is predicted to have a very narrow distribution in areas with high seasonal rainfall and high temperatures with low seasonality. All species are predicted to occur sympatrically, with A. stuartii and A. agilis predicted to have extensive overlap on the coast near Kioloa and to the immediate west and south-west of Sydney.

The protocols for koala research using radio-collars: a review based on its application in a tall coastal forest in New South Wales and the implications for future research.

2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. L. Radford ◽  
J. McKee ◽  
R. L. Goldingay ◽  
R. P. Kavanagh
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Research Committee ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Current Form ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Pine Creek

In 1996, guidelines were produced for capture and radio-tracking protocols for koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) research within New South Wales (NSW). An integrated project commenced in 1998 to examine P. cinereus ecology and health status in Pine Creek State Forest. This project utilised intensive clinical and pathological assessment protocols on captured P. cinereus in combination with radio-tracking and ecological investigations. The methods used in this project were referred to the NSW Koala Research Committee (KRC) for review in mid 1999 due to the political profile of the study area. The KRC assessed the project protocols and reviewed the original guidelines incorporating some of the protocols used in the Pine Creek project. The outcome is a new set of protocols for P. cinereus research within NSW which are more explicit and restrictive than those applied to P. cinereus research elsewhere or to research on other species. In their current form the new guidelines require a substantial investment in time, equipment, personnel and finance; factors that may deter or restrict future, comprehensive ecological research on P. cinereus populations. They inadequately provide for some practices we believe important in minimising the invasiveness of P. cinereus capture. We propose amendments to the guidelines in the areas of personnel required, behavioural assessment, capture methods, processing safety and tracking frequency. We suggest that these amendments will render the guidelines more accessible to a broader range of projects, and easier to apply under field conditions while preserving the intent to maintain P. cinereus welfare and research best practice.

The Birds of South-west New South Wales

1961 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. Hobbs
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South West ◽  
South Wales

Seasonal Changes in Diet Preferences of Free-Ranging Red Kangaroos, Euros and Sheep in Western New South Wales.

1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
BA Ellis ◽  
EM Russell ◽  
TJ Dawson ◽  
CJF Harrop
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Ovis Aries ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Red Kangaroo ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Selective Eating ◽  
Free Ranging

Stomach contents of free-ranging animals were analysed botanically for low Atriplex shrubland in western New South Wales, Australia, during 1972-74 in good seasons producing abundant growth and diversity of vegetation. Red kangaroo (Megaleia rufa), euro (Macropus robustus) and sheep (Ovis aries) selected grass and forbs when those were readily available. In poorer pasture sheep selected mainly flat-leaved chenopods (saltbush) and kangaroos selected mainly grass with different amounts of flat- or round-leaved chenopods. Euros were the most selective, eating grass even when there was little grass present. Potential overlaps in diet between kangaroos and sheep were greatest in good pasture and least in the poorest conditions. The other groups of plants considered were non-chenopod shrubs and browse. Extent of overlap was not clear, because animals may have eaten different species within the groups of plants. The study period did not include any severe drought, in which overlap in diet and competition between animal species would have been most significant.

scholarly journals Prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia and nasal colonization in a free-ranging koala population

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 848-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J Schmertmann ◽  
Alex Kan ◽  
Valentina S A Mella ◽  
Cristina M Fernandez ◽  
Mathew S Crowther ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis ◽  
Polymorphism Analysis ◽  
Nasal Colonization ◽  
Agar Culture ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Species Complexes ◽  
Cryptococcus Spp ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractCryptococcosis, caused by environmental fungi in the Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complexes, affects a variety of hosts, including koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Cryptococcal antigenemia and nasal colonization are well characterized in captive koalas, but free-ranging populations have not been studied systematically. Free-ranging koalas (181) from the Liverpool Plains region of New South Wales, Australia, were tested for cryptococcal antigenemia (lateral flow immunoassay) and nasal colonization (bird seed agar culture). Results were related to environmental and individual koala characteristics. Eucalypt trees (14) were also randomly tested for the presence of Cryptococcus spp. by bird seed agar culture. In sum, 5.5% (10/181) and 6.6% (12/181) of koalas were positive for antigenemia and nasal colonization, respectively, on at least one occasion. And 64.3% (9/14) of eucalypts were culture-positive for Cryptococcus spp. URA5 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis identified most isolates as C. gattii VGI, while C. neoformans VNI was only found in one koala and one tree. Colonized koalas were significantly more likely to test positive for antigenemia. No associations between antigenemia or colonization, and external environmental characteristics (the relative abundance of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and season), or individual koala characteristics (body condition, sex, and age), could be established, suggesting that antigenemia and colonization are random outcomes of host-pathogen-environment interactions. The relationship between positive antigenemia status and a relatively high abundance of E. camaldulensis requires further investigation. This study characterizes cryptococcosis in a free-ranging koala population, expands the ecological niche of the C. gattii/C. neoformans species complexes and highlights free-ranging koalas as important sentinels for this disease.

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