Fate of dried meat baits aimed at wild dog (Canis familiaris) control

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 528 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Kreplins ◽  
M. S. Kennedy ◽  
P. J. Adams ◽  
P. W. Bateman ◽  
S. D. Dundas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Oil ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Worldwide Phenomenon ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Emotional Strain ◽  
Wild Dogs ◽  
Agricultural Regions ◽  
Financial Losses ◽  
Target Activity

Context Livestock predation is a worldwide phenomenon, causing financial losses and emotional strain on producers. Wild dogs (Canis familiaris) cause millions of dollars of damage to cattle, sheep and goat production in Australia every year, and despite on-going control (baiting, trapping, shooting, and fencing), they remain a significant problem for livestock producers across many pastoral and agricultural regions of Australia. Aims We aimed to quantify the uptake of dried meat baits by wild dogs and determine whether an olfactory lure (fish oil) could increase uptake. Methods Camera traps and sand pads were used to monitor bait uptake for three baiting events on two pastoral properties in the southern rangelands of Western Australia in 2016 and 2017. Key results Of the 337 monitored baits with a known outcome, young wild dogs (<8 months old) removed only four, three of which were covered in a fish-oil lure. In warmer months, baits were largely consumed by varanids, and in cooler months, when baits were taken it was predominantly by corvids. Varanids and corvids took more baits than expected on the basis of activity indices. Kangaroos, feral cats and wild dogs consumed significantly fewer baits than expected from their activity on camera. Conclusions We have no evidence that adult wild dogs removed baits, despite many opportunities to do so (wild dogs passing cameras), and fewer wild dogs took baits than expected on the basis of activity events seen on camera. Olfactory lures may have the potential to increase bait uptake by naïve individuals (i.e. young dogs), but the sample size was small. Implications Increasing the number of baiting events per year, trialling novel baits, and baiting during low non-target activity are some of the recommended methods that may increase bait persistence and uptake by wild dogs.

Effect of Presentation on the Attractiveness and Palatability to Wild Dogs and Other Wildlife of 2 Unpoisoned Wild-Dog Bait Types

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 593 ◽  
Author(s):  
LR Allen ◽  
PJS Fleming ◽  
JA Thompson ◽  
K Strong
Keyword(s):  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Fresh Meat ◽  
Relative Attractiveness ◽  
Control Programmes ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs

Factory-prepared beef crackle cubes and fresh meat baits are routinely used with the poison 1080 to prevent or reduce predation by wild dogs, Canis familiaris. Four field trials totalling 674 bait nights per bait type were conducted in southern Queensland to assess the relative attractiveness and palatability of the two baits to wild dogs and non-target animals. Buried meat and surface-laid meat baits were also compared to assess the effect that bait presentation can have on control programme efficiency and non-target hazard. Fresh meat was found to be significantly more palatable to wild dogs than factory baits. Factory baits, despite being equally attractive to wild dogs as fresh meat, had significantly more visits by wild dogs where baits were not eaten. Fresh meat was significantly more attractive and palatable to non-target species than factory baits. Buried baits were equally attractive and palatable to wild dogs compared with surface-laid meat baits, yet had greatly reduced non-target bait take. The significance of the results is discussed with regard to the potential 1080 hazard to birds and reptiles (which removed 28% and 10% of baits, respectively) and the influence that non-target removal of baits may have on the efficiency and design of wild-dog control programmes. Extra keywords: Compound 1080, poison, SEA, sodium fluoroacetate.

Indices for Measuring the Efficacy of Aerial Baiting for Wild Dog Control in North-Eastern New South Wales.

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 665 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJS Fleming ◽  
JA Thompson ◽  
HI Nicol
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
The Other ◽  
Treatment Site ◽  
South Wales ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs

The efficacy of aerial baiting with 1080 poison (sodium fluoroacetate) for the control of wild dogs (Canis familiaris familiaris and C. familiaris dingo) in the temperate rangelands of north-eastern New South Wales was studied. In each year from 1991 to 1993, 2 indices of the abundance of dogs, one a raw count of sets of footprints per km of transect (SF) and the other an ln-transformed frequency corrected for sightability of signs (CI), were used to quantify the changes in abundance caused by aerial baiting. Abundance of dogs at a nil-treatment site was estimated concurrently. The SF index found the 1991 baiting to be efficacious. Both measures of abundance showed baiting to be efficacious in 1992 and 1993. Reductions of 66.3-84.5% in the abundance of dogs at the treatment site were found for the CI measure. The SF measure displayed abundance changes of 76.1-91.1%. The indices of abundance measured prior to the annual baiting in 1992 and 1993 were similar, indicating that populations returned to their initial abundance within 1 year.

Efficacy of lethal-trap devices to improve the welfare of trapped wild dogs

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Meek ◽  
Stuart C. Brown ◽  
Jason Wishart ◽  
Heath Milne ◽  
Paul Aylett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Main Trial ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs ◽  
Mean Time

Context Wildlife and pest managers and stakeholders should constantly aim to improve animal-welfare outcomes when foot-hold trapping pest animals. To minimise stress and trauma to trapped animals, traps should be checked at least once every 24h, normally as soon after sunrise as possible. If distance, time, environmental or geographical constraints prevent this, toxins such as strychnine can be fitted to trap jaws to induce euthanasia. However, strychnine is considered to have undesirable animal-welfare outcomes because animals are conscious while clinical signs of intoxication are present. A toxin considered more humane, para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP), is available to induce euthanasia in trapped animals but is untested for presentation and efficacy. Aim We tested the efficacy of two types of lethal trap device (LTD’s), each using a paste formulation of PAPP as the active toxin to replace the use of strychnine on foot-hold jaw traps. Methods Elastomer LTDs and PAPP-cloths were fitted to jaw traps set to capture wild dogs (Canis familiaris). Camera-trap data was used to record animal behaviours after capture and to determine the efficacy of both modalities. Key results Every trapped wild dog (n=117) gnawed at the elastomer LTD’s or PAPP-cloth attached to the trap jaws that restrained them; one dog failed to liberate the toxin. From the dogs caught in the main trial (n=56), a mortality rate of 84% and 87% was reported respectively. The mean time from trap-to-death for elastomer LTDs was 64min and 68min for PAPP-cloths. Conclusions Elastomer LTDs and PAPP cloths combined caused the mortality of 85% of captured dogs. This efficacy could be improved by adopting the recommendations discussed in the present study for deploying PAPP-based LTDs during trap deployment. Implications PAPP-based LTDs offer an alternative option to the use of strychnine and improve the welfare outcomes for trapped predators, especially where traps are not checked within the recommended 24-h period.

Effects on Nontarget Animal Populations of Wild Dog Trail-Baiting Campaigns With 1080 Poison

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 447 ◽  
Author(s):  
JC Mcilroy ◽  
EJ Gifford ◽  
RJ Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
New South ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Mountain Forest ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Dietary Preferences ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs

Populations of birds and small mammals in a mountain forest area of New South Wales were not significantly affected by two trail-baiting campaigns involving 1080 poison that were carried out against wild dogs, Canis familiaris, during the winters of 1980 and 1981. Factors which probably minimized the effect on the non-target species were the sparse distribution of baits, the placement of the baits in habitats not favoured by small mammals, their initially rapid rate of removal by foxes, Vulpes vulpes, the dietary preferences of the non-target animals and the low risk they would face if they did consume a bait.

scholarly journals Fencing affects African wild dog movement patterns and population dynamics

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Helen M. K. O'Neill ◽  
Sarah M. Durant ◽  
Stefanie Strebel ◽  
Rosie Woodroffe
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Landscape Connectivity ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Wrong Side ◽  
African Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs

Abstract Wildlife fences are often considered an important tool in conservation. Fences are used in attempts to prevent human–wildlife conflict and reduce poaching, despite known negative impacts on landscape connectivity and animal movement patterns. Such impacts are likely to be particularly important for wide-ranging species, such as the African wild dog Lycaon pictus, which requires large areas of continuous habitat to fulfil its resource requirements. Laikipia County in northern Kenya is an important area for wild dogs but new wildlife fences are increasingly being built in this ecosystem. Using a long-term dataset from the area's free-ranging wild dog population, we evaluated the effect of wildlife fence structure on the ability of wild dogs to cross them. The extent to which fences impeded wild dog movement differed between fence designs, although individuals crossed fences of all types. Purpose-built fence gaps increased passage through relatively impermeable fences. Nevertheless, low fence permeability can lead to packs, or parts of packs, becoming trapped on the wrong side of a fence, with consequences for population dynamics. Careful evaluation should be given to the necessity of erecting fences; ecological impact assessments should incorporate evaluation of impacts on animal movement patterns and should be undertaken for all large-scale fencing interventions. Where fencing is unavoidable, projects should use the most permeable fencing structures possible, both in the design of the fence and including as many purpose-built gaps as possible, to minimize impacts on wide-ranging wildlife.

scholarly journals Assessing the risks of intervention: immobilization, radio-collaring and vaccination of African wild dogs

Oryx ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosie Woodroffe
Keyword(s):  
Rabies Virus ◽  
Lycaon Pictus ◽  
Full Data ◽  
Serengeti Ecosystem ◽  
African Wild Dogs ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs ◽  
Rabies Vaccination ◽  
Future Management

AbstractControversy has surrounded the role of intervention in studies of African wild dogs Lycaon pictus. Following the death or disappearance of all wild dogs under study in the Serengeti ecosystem, it was suggested that immobilization, radio-collaring or administration of rabies vaccines might have caused high mortality by compromising wild dogs′ immune response to rabies virus. Planning future management and research on wild dogs and other species demands an assessment of the risks associated with such intervention. This paper critically reviews the available evidence and concludes that it is extremely unlikely that intervention contributed to the extinction of wild dogs in the Serengeti ecosystem. A more likely scenario is that vaccination failed to protect wild dogs exposed to rabies virus. Radio-collaring is an important component of wild dog research; hence, the benefits of immobilization appear to outweigh the risks, as long as (i) research is orientated towards wild dog conservation, (ii) radiocollaring is followed up by efficient monitoring, (iii) the number of animals immobilized is kept to the minimum necessary to maintain scientific rigour, and (iv) full data on disease and genetics are collected from all immobilized animals. By contrast, rabies vaccination currently seems to confer few benefits, at least when a single dose of vaccine is given. Further research, on captive animals, is in progress to establish more effective protocols, and to assess the role that vaccination might play in future management of wild dog populations.

Potential impact of aerial baiting for wild dogs on a population of spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus)

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Murray ◽  
Robert N. Poore
Keyword(s):  
Rhodamine B ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Wild Dogs

The spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is a threatened marsupial that inhabits forests in eastern Australia. In many of these forests the species is sympatric with populations of wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo, Canis familiaris and hybrids of the two), which are subject to poison-baiting programs. Many of these programs involve dropping meat baits injected with 6 mg of 1080 from helicopters. To date, the effect of this method on populations of spotted-tailed quolls has not been quantified. We carried out a simulated aerial baiting program using meat baits injected with a non-toxic baitmarker, Rhodamine B, which is laid down in the vibrissae of mammals ingesting baits. Of the 16 spotted-tailed quolls subsequently captured, 10 had Rhodamine B in their vibrissae. The potential impact that this level of bait uptake might have on a population of quolls is discussed.

Social landscape of the night parrot in western Queensland, Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Garnett ◽  
Mark Kleinschmidt ◽  
Micha V. Jackson ◽  
Kerstin K. Zander ◽  
Stephen A. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Property Management ◽  
Social Landscape ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
High Level ◽  
Wild Dogs

The attitudes of the owners or managers of properties potentially supporting populations of night parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) in western Queensland, Australia, were explored using interviews to understand whether they would be sympathetic to the species’ conservation. Eighteen interviews were carried out by a former member of the local grazing community and found a high level of support for conservation, especially if it did not unduly disrupt existing grazing management practices and there was compensation in the event property management needed to change. This included trying to limit burning and not overgrazing habitat in which the parrot might occur. It also included the cessation of wild dog baiting, which is conducted to reduce calf losses, although concern about wild dogs was deeply entrenched. While some graziers were indifferent, none were openly antagonistic to parrot conservation that might involve their property. The results suggest that collaborative management with local graziers can contribute substantially to conservation of the night parrot in the region and any fears that graziers might be antagonistic to night parrot conservation are ill-founded.

The effect of ant activity on meat baits impregnated with sodium monofluoroacetate (Compound 1080) used for the control of dingoes and wild dogs.

1989 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
PF Merks ◽  
MC Calver
Keyword(s):  
Sun Drying ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs

Wild dog and dingo baits impregnated with the toxin 1080 and exposed at two different sites in the field suffered significant reductions in weight compared with controls as a result of ant activity. In one case a bait was completely destroyed in five days, while others were reduced in weight by over 70% during the same period. Sun-drying of baits for 48h before laying did not significantly reduce damage by ants. Ant activity may detoxify baits before they are taken by wild dogs.

scholarly journals Beliefs and Attitudes of Residents in Queensland, Australia, about Managing Dog and Cat Impacts on Native Wildlife

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1637
Author(s):  
Jennifer Carter ◽  
Mandy B. A. Paterson ◽  
John M. Morton ◽  
Francisco Gelves-Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Past Research ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Gender Expectations ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Companion Species ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

Many humans have created close relationships with wildlife and companion species. Notwithstanding that companion species were at some point themselves wild, some wild (i.e., feral) and domesticated (owned) dogs and cats now have significant impacts on wildlife. Many strategies exist to control the impact of dogs and cats on wildlife, but the successful implementation of management initiatives is tied to public opinions and the degree of acceptability of these measures. This paper reports the findings of a survey assessing the beliefs of residents in Queensland, Australia, about dog and cat impacts on wildlife, and their attitudes towards various strategies and options for controlling wild (i.e., feral) and domesticated (owned) dogs and cats. The responses of 590 participants were analysed. Our respondents collectively grouped strategies into those that directly cause wild dog and cat deaths and those that allow wild dogs and cats to live a ‘natural’ life, which is a variation on past research where respondents grouped strategies into lethal and non-lethal methods. Community acceptability of strategies that directly cause wild dog and cat deaths (each assessed using five-category Likert scores) was lower amongst females and respondents aged 34 years or less. Gender expectations in most places and cultures still predominately suggest that women are more ‘caring’, supportive of animal welfare, and perhaps cognizant that wild dogs and cats are also sentient creatures and appreciate the problematic tension between controlling wild and companion species. Age-related differences may reflect the changing social values of communities at different points in time. There was high support for regulations that enforce responsible pet ownership but not for the importance of pet-free suburbs, which the majority of respondents considered unimportant. These important variations in beliefs and attitudes require careful management within each community for the success of any program to control wild dogs or cats.

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