scholarly journals Efficacy and welfare assessment of an encapsulated para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP) formulation as a bait-delivered toxicant for feral cats (Felis catus)

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Michael Johnston ◽  
Dave Algar ◽  
Michael O'Donoghue ◽  
Jim Morris ◽  
Tony Buckmaster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Controlled Release ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Management Technique ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Invasive Predators ◽  
Scale Population ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Management Techniques

Abstract ContextFeral cats are invasive predators of small and medium-sized fauna throughout Australia. The only broad-scale population-management technique for feral cats currently available in Australia is poison baiting. As poison baits for feral cats must be surface-laid, this can lead to the unintended exposure of non-target species consuming the baits. Encapsulation of a toxin within a robust, controlled-release pellet implanted within the meat lure (the combination of which is termed the Curiosity® bait) substantially reduces the potential risk to non-target species. Para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP) has been shown to be an effective toxin to which cats are highly susceptible. AimsThe present study aimed to measure the efficacy of encapsulating PAPP toxin in a controlled-release pellet on feral cats in a pen situation and to document the observed behaviours through the toxication process. MethodsPen trials with captive cats were undertaken to document efficacy of encapsulating PAPP toxin in a controlled-release pellet and to assess the behaviours during toxicosis. These behaviours inform an assessment of the humaneness associated with the Curiosity bait using a published relative humaneness model. Key resultsThe trials demonstrated a 95% consumption of the toxic pellet and observed the pattern of behaviours exhibited during the intoxication process. There was a definitive delay in the onset of clinical signs and death followed at ~185min after the first definitive sign. The humaneness using the relative humaneness model was scored at ‘mild suffering’. ConclusionsThe encapsulating PAPP toxin in a controlled-release pellet for feral cats is effective. The feral cats display a range of behaviours through the toxication process, and these have been interpreted as mild suffering under the relative humaneness model. ImplicationsThe documented efficacy and behaviours of encapsulating PAPP toxin in a controlled-release pellet provides knowledge of how the PAPP toxin works on feral cats, which may assist in decision-making processes for conservation land managers controlling feral cats and whether to incorporate the use of the Curiosity® bait into existing management techniques.

scholarly journals Assessing Risks to Non-Target Species during Poison Baiting Programs for Feral Cats

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e107788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Buckmaster ◽  
Christopher R. Dickman ◽  
Michael J. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Target Species ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Poison Baiting

The use of poison baits to control feral cats and red foxes in arid South Australia II. Bait type, placement, lures and non-target uptake

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 350 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. E. Moseby ◽  
J. L. Read ◽  
B. Galbraith ◽  
N. Munro ◽  
J. Newport ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lethal Dose ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Live Prey ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Ingestion Rates ◽  
Poison Baiting

Context Poison baits are often used to control both foxes and feral cats but success varies considerably. Aims This study investigated the influence of bait type, placement and lures on bait uptake by the feral cat, red fox and non-target species to improve baiting success and reduce non-target uptake. Methods Six short field trials were implemented during autumn and winter over a five-year period in northern South Australia. Key results Results suggest that poison baiting with Eradicat or dried kangaroo meat baits was inefficient for feral cats due to both low rates of bait detection and poor ingestion rates for baits that were encountered. Cats consumed more baits on dunes than swales and uptake was higher under bushes than in open areas. The use of auditory or olfactory lures adjacent to baits did not increase ingestion rates. Foxes consumed more baits encountered than cats and exhibited no preference between Eradicat and kangaroo meat baits. Bait uptake by native non-target species averaged between 14 and 57% of baits during the six trials, accounting for up to 90% of total bait uptake. Corvid species were primarily responsible for non-target uptake. Threatened mammal species investigated and nibbled baits but rarely consumed them; however, corvids and some common rodent species ingested enough poison to potentially receive a lethal dose. Conclusions It is likely that several factors contributed to poor bait uptake by cats including the presence of alternative prey, a preference for live prey, an aversion to scavenging or eating unfamiliar foods and a stronger reliance on visual rather than olfactory cues for locating food. Implications Further trials for control of feral cats should concentrate on increasing ingestion rates without the requirement for hunger through either involuntary ingestion via grooming or development of a highly palatable bait.

On the right track: placement of camera traps on roads improves detection of predators and shows non-target impacts of feral cat baiting

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Wysong ◽  
Gwenllian D. Iacona ◽  
Leonie E. Valentine ◽  
Keith Morris ◽  
Euan G. Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Apex Predator ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Ecological Consequences ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Detection Probabilities ◽  
Poison Baiting

Abstract ContextTo understand the ecological consequences of predator management, reliable and accurate methods are needed to survey and detect predators and the species with which they interact. Recently, poison baits have been developed specifically for lethal and broad-scale control of feral cats in Australia. However, the potential non-target effects of these baits on other predators, including native apex predators (dingoes), and, in turn, cascading effects on lower trophic levels (large herbivores), are poorly understood. AimsWe examined the effect that variation in camera trapping-survey design has on detecting dingoes, feral cats and macropodids, and how different habitat types affect species occurrences. We then examined how a feral cat poison baiting event influences the occupancy of these sympatric species. MethodsWe deployed 80 remotely triggered camera traps over the 2410-km2 Matuwa Indigenous Protected Area, in the semiarid rangelands of Western Australia, and used single-season site-occupancy models to calculate detection probabilities and occupancy for our target species before and after baiting. Key resultsCameras placed on roads were ~60 times more likely to detect dingoes and feral cats than were off-road cameras, whereas audio lures designed to attract feral cats had only a slight positive effect on detection for all target species. Habitat was a significant factor affecting the occupancy of dingoes and macropodids, but not feral cats, with both species being positively associated with open woodlands. Poison baiting to control feral cats did not significantly reduce their occupancy but did so for dingoes, whereas macropodid occupancy increased following baiting and reduced dingo occupancy. ConclusionsCamera traps on roads greatly increase the detection probabilities for predators, whereas audio lures appear to add little or no value to increasing detection for any of the species we targeted. Poison baiting of an invasive mesopredator appeared to negatively affect a non-target, native apex predator, and, in turn, may have resulted in increased activity of large herbivores. ImplicationsManagement and monitoring of predators must pay careful attention to survey design, and lethal control of invasive mesopredators should be approached cautiously so as to avoid potential unintended negative ecological consequences (apex-predator suppression and herbivore release).

Potential impacts of poison baiting for introduced house mice on native animals on islands in Jurien Bay, Western Australia

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford Bennison ◽  
J. Anthony Friend ◽  
Timothy Button ◽  
Harriet Mills ◽  
Cathy Lambert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Rhodamine B ◽  
Native Species ◽  
House Mice ◽  
Mus Domesticus ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Delivery Technique ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Competition For Resources

Context House mice (Mus domesticus) are present on Boullanger and Whitlock islands, Western Australia, and could potentially threaten populations of the dibbler (Parantechinus apicalis) and grey-bellied dunnart (Sminthopsis griseoventer) through competition for resources. A workshop in 2007 recommended a study to assess the feasibility of eradicating house mice from the islands by using poison baits and of the risk posed to non-target native species. Aim We aimed to assess the risk to non-target native species if poison baiting was used to eradicate house mice on Boullanger and Whitlock islands. Methods Non-toxic baits containing the bait marker rhodamine B were distributed on Boullanger Island and on the mouse free Escape Island to determine the potential for primary poisoning. Acceptance of baits by mammals was measured through sampling and analysis of whiskers, and by reptiles through observations of dye in faeces. To determine the potential for secondary exposure to poison, the response of dibblers to mouse carcasses was observed using motion-activated cameras. Bait acceptance was compared using two methods of delivery, namely, scattering in the open and delivery in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes. A cafeteria experiment of bait consumption by dibblers was also undertaken using captive animals held at the Perth Zoo. Ten dibblers were offered non-toxic baits containing rhodamine B in addition to their normal meals; consumption of bait and the presence of dye in whiskers were measured. Key results Bait acceptance on the islands was high for house mice (92% of individuals) and dibblers (48%) and it was independent of bait-delivery technique. There was no evidence of bait acceptance by grey-bellied dunnarts. Dibblers may consume mice carcasses if available; however, no direct consumption of mice carcasses was observed with movement sensor cameras but one dibbler was observed removing a mouse carcass and taking it away. During the cafeteria experiment, 9 of 10 captive dibblers consumed baits. Conclusions This investigation demonstrated that dibblers consume baits readily and island populations would experience high mortality if exposed to poison baits. Poison baiting could effectively eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands but not without mortality for dibblers. Implications Toxic baits could be used to eradicate mice from Boullanger and Whitlock islands, provided that non-target species such as dibblers were temporarily removed from the islands before the application of baits.

Movement patterns of feral predators in an arid environment – implications for control through poison baiting

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 422 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. E. Moseby ◽  
J. Stott ◽  
H. Crisp
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Specific Variation

Control of introduced predators is critical to both protection and successful reintroduction of threatened prey species. Efficiency of control is improved if it takes into account habitat use, home range and the activity patterns of the predator. These characteristics were studied in feral cats (Felis catus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in arid South Australia, and results are used to suggest improvements in control methods. In addition, mortality and movement patterns of cats before and after a poison-baiting event were compared. Thirteen cats and four foxes were successfully fitted with GPS data-logger radio-collars and tracked 4-hourly for several months. High intra-specific variation in cat home-range size was recorded, with 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) home ranges varying from 0.5 km2 to 132 km2. Cat home-range size was not significantly different from that of foxes, nor was there a significant difference related to sex or age. Cats preferred habitat types that support thicker vegetation cover, including creeklines and sand dunes, whereas foxes preferred sand dunes. Cats used temporary focal points (areas used intensively over short time periods and then vacated) for periods of up to 2 weeks and continually moved throughout their home range. Aerial baiting at a density of 10 baits per km2 was ineffective for cats because similar high mortality rates were recorded for cats in both baited and unbaited areas. Mortality was highest in young male cats. Long-range movements of up to 45 km in 2 days were recorded in male feral cats and movement into the baited zone occurred within 2 days of baiting. Movement patterns of radio-collared animals and inferred bait detection distances were used to suggest optimum baiting densities of ~30 baits per km2 for feral cats and 5 per km2 for foxes. Feral cats exhibited much higher intra-specific variation in activity patterns and home-range size than did foxes, rendering them a potentially difficult species to control by a single method. Control of cats and foxes in arid Australia should target habitats with thick vegetation cover and aerial baiting should ideally occur over areas of several thousand square kilometres because of large home ranges and long-range movements increasing the chance of fast reinvasion. The use of temporary focal points suggested that it may take several days or even weeks for a cat to encounter a fixed trap site within their home range, whereas foxes should encounter them more quickly as they move further each day although they have a similar home-range size. Because of high intra-specific variability in activity patterns and home-range size, control of feral cats in inland Australia may be best achieved through a combination of control techniques.

New Tools for Cyber Security Using Blockchain Technology and Avatar-Based Management Technique

2019 ◽  
pp. 105-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vardan Mkrttchian ◽  
Leyla Ayvarovna Gamidullaeva ◽  
Yulia Vertakova ◽  
Svetlana Panasenko
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
Digital Economy ◽  
Management Technique ◽  
Closed Model ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Current State ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Visualization Techniques ◽  
Development Prospects

The chapter introduces the perspectives on the use of avatar-based management techniques for designing new tools to improve blockchain as technology for cyber security issues. The purpose of this chapter was to develop an avatar-based closed model with strong empirical grounding that provides a uniform platform to address issues in different areas of digital economy and creating new tools to improve blockchain technology using the intelligent visualization techniques. The authors show the essence, dignity, current state, and development prospects of avatar-based management using blockchain technology for improving implementation of economic solutions in the digital economy of Russia.

scholarly journals Seasonal and spatial shifts in feral cat predation on native seabirds vs. non-native rats on Mikura Island, Japan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarara Azumi ◽  
Yuya Watari ◽  
Nariko Oka ◽  
Tadashi Miyashita
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Rattus Rattus ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Alternative Prey ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Invasive Predators

Abstract Understanding how invasive predators impact native species is essential for the development of effective control strategies, especially in insular environments where alternative non-native prey species exist. We examined seasonal and spatial shifts in diet of feral cat Felis silvestris catus focusing on the predation on native streaked shearwaters, Calonectris leucomelas, and introduced rats, Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus, which are alternative prey to shearwaters, on Mikura Island, Japan. Streaked shearwaters breed at low elevations on the island from spring to autumn, whereas rats inhabit the island throughout the year, which makes them an alternative prey when native shearwaters are absent. Fecal analysis revealed that feral cats dramatically shifted their diets from introduced rats in winter to streaked shearwaters in seabird-season in low elevation areas of the island, while cats preyed on rats throughout the year at high altitudes on the island. This finding suggests that feral cats selectively prey on shearwaters. This is probably because of their large body size and less cautious behavior, and because introduced rats sustain the cat population when shearwaters are absent. The number of streaked shearwaters killed was estimated to be 313 individuals per cat per year, which represents an indication of top-down effects of feral cats on streaked shearwaters. Further studies on the demographic parameters and interspecific interactions of the three species are required to enable effective cat management for the conservation of streaked shearwaters on this island.

An investigation of barriers to waste management techniques implemented in Indian manufacturing industries using analytical hierarchy process

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-70
Author(s):  
Harsimran Singh Sodhi ◽  
Doordarshi Singh ◽  
Bikram Jit Singh
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Analytical Hierarchy Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Management Technique ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Organizations ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Manufacturing Organization ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the various barriers in the implementation of waste management techniques in manufacturing organizations. Design/methodology/approach In this study, 121 SMEs of the manufacturing sector have been extensively surveyed, to assess the relative impact of barriers in the waste management technique in a manufacturing organization. Further, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) has been used to identify the most significant barriers. Findings Major barriers in the implementation of a waste management technique in a manufacturing organization have been identified and their weightage has been calculated through the AHP model. Originality/value This study will assist the floor managers in manufacturing organizations to identify the major barriers and to plan accordingly for the adequate implementation of waste management technique.

Edge effects created by fenced conservation reserves benefit an invasive mesopredator

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 677
Author(s):  
Hugh McGregor ◽  
John Read ◽  
Christopher N. Johnson ◽  
Sarah Legge ◽  
Brydie Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Source Population ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Invasive Predators ◽  
Surrounding Landscape

Abstract ContextFenced reserves from which invasive predators are removed are increasingly used as a conservation management tool, because they provide safe havens for susceptible threatened species, and create dense populations of native wildlife that could act as a source population for recolonising the surrounding landscape. However, the latter effect might also act as a food source, and promote high densities of invasive predators on the edges of such reserves. AimsOur study aimed to determine whether activity of the feral cat is greater around the edges of a fenced conservation reserve, Arid Recovery, in northern South Australia. This reserve has abundant native rodents that move through the fence into the surrounding landscape. MethodsWe investigated (1) whether feral cats were increasingly likely to be detected on track transects closer to the fence over time as populations of native rodents increased inside the reserve, (2) whether native rodents were more likely to be found in the stomachs of cats caught close to the reserve edge, and (3) whether individual cats selectively hunted on the reserve fence compared with two other similar fences, on the basis of GPS movement data. Key resultsWe found that (1) detection rates of feral cats on the edges of a fenced reserve increased through time as populations of native rodents increased inside the reserve, (2) native rodents were far more likely to be found in the stomach of cats collected at the reserve edge than in the stomachs of cats far from the reserve edge, and (3) GPS tracking of cat movements showed a selection for the reserve fence edge, but not for similar fences away from the reserve. ConclusionsInvasive predators such as feral cats are able to focus their movements and activity to where prey availability is greatest, including the edges of fenced conservation reserves. This limits the capacity of reserves to function as source areas from which animals can recolonise the surrounding landscape, and increases predation pressure on populations of other species living on the reserve edge. ImplicationsManagers of fenced conservation reserves should be aware that increased predator control may be critical for offsetting the elevated impacts of feral cats attracted to the reserve fence.

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.

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