Learned bait-shyness by possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) towards baits containing cyanide, 1080, cholecalciferol, or brodifacoum

Morgan, David R.; Milne, L.; O'Connor, C. E.

doi:10.5070/v420110292

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…However, suppression operations must be repeated every few years and include the inevitable bounce back of possum populations in the years between operations. The repeated application of aerial 1080 with the same lure and mask, while effective initially, can induce bait shyness in possums that receive a sublethal dose [ 53 , 54 , 55 ], reducing the efficacy of suppression operations over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Targeted Mop up and Robust Response Tools Can Achieve and Maintain Possum Freedom on the Mainland

Cook

Mulgan

2022

Animals

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Unfenced sites on mainland New Zealand have long been considered impossible to defend from reinvasion by possums, and are thus unsuitable for eradication. In July 2019, we began eliminating possums from 11,642 ha (including approximately 8700 ha of suitable possum habitat) in South Westland, using alpine rivers and high alpine ranges to minimise reinvasion. Two aerial 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) applications, each with two pre-feeds, were used. Here, we detail the effort to mop up existing possums and subsequent invaders in the 13 months following the aerial operation. Possums were detected and caught using a motion-activated camera network, traps equipped with automated reporting and a possum search dog. The last probable survivor was eliminated on 29 June 2020, 11 months after the initial removal operation. Subsequently, possums entered the site at a rate of 4 per year. These were detected and removed using the same methods. The initial elimination cost NZD 163.75/ha and ongoing detection and response NZD 15.70/ha annually. We compare costs with possum eradications on islands and ongoing suppression on the mainland.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Targeted Mop up and Robust Response Tools Can Achieve and Maintain Possum Freedom on the Mainland

Cook

Mulgan

2022

Animals

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“…Dual toxin applications implemented a few months apart have shown potential for the local elimination of ship rats ( Nugent et al 2019). Compound 1080 is an acute toxin, meaning the onset of toxic symptoms is rapid and any sub-lethal dose is likely to result in aversion (Ross et al 2000;Morgan et al 2002;Nugent et al 2019). There may always be survivors of predator removal operations, despite multiple pre-feeds and high sowing rates of toxic bait used in these modified operations (Graham Nugent et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dual aerial 1080 baiting operation removes predators at a large spatial scale

Nichols¹,

Ltd²,

Wellington³

et al. 2021

NZJE

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As New Zealand attempts to become predator free by 2050, transitioning aerial 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) operations from predator control to complete predator removal has become an important research objective. Aerial 1080 operations may not remove every last target animal, but they may be able to remove a very high proportion (> 0.99). We trialled a modified [dual] aerial 1080 operation for the removal of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), ship rats (Rattus rattus), and stoats (Mustela erminea) at large spatial scale. Our trial involved two toxin applications (TA#1 & TA#2), each preceded by two applications of non-toxic pre-feed bait. Different types of cereal baits and lures were used for each toxin application. Camera traps (n = 142; 200-1431 m asl) were used to detect the target species and to incidentally observe house mouse (Mus musculus), birds, and ungulates across the study area. The operation had no significant impact on the number of cameras detecting most birds and ungulate species; however, house mouse, blackbird (Turdus merula), and red deer (Cervus elaphus) were detected on significantly fewer cameras after TA#1 than before. Numbers of cameras that detected target species were significantly reduced for all three target species after TA#1, and significantly reduced again for possums after TA#2, when no stoats were detected on cameras and a small number of cameras detected rats. Mean relative abundance estimates based on camera trap indices (proportion of camera trap days that target species were detected) showed the operation appears to have removed over 99% of ship rats, stoats, and possums.

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“…Generally, the only difference is the lack of toxin and the lack of green dye (a regulatory requirement to indicate that bait is toxic and to minimise consumption by birds). Most published research about prefeeding has focused on its role in overcoming cautious feeding by possums either as a result of an intrinsic neophobia (Morgan 1990; Morgan et al 1996) or because of an aversion induced by some previous sublethal poisoning (Moss et al 1998;O'Connor and Matthews 1999;Morgan et al 2002). However, prefeeding may increase kill rate or percentage kill by several other mechanisms that have so far received little research attention, but which may be just as (or even more) important to overcoming bait or toxin shyness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of prefeeding on foraging patterns of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) about prefeed transects

et al. 2009

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Context. Brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) are a major pest of native biodiversity and agricultural production in New Zealand. To maximise the effectiveness of control operations, prefeeding (free-feeding) of non-toxic bait before poison is often used, but the mechanisms by which it does so, remain unclear. One possibility is that prefeeding changes foraging patterns and space use in ways that increase the likelihood of possums finding and eating a lethal dose of poison bait.Aim. To determine whether prefeeding along transects increases possum activity on the transect, and if so, how long the effect lasts.Methods. We monitored the time that radio-collared possums spent within a few metres of 350 m of aerial wire laid along a transect.Key results. Initially, possums spent only 2.6 min per night in the vicinity of the wire, but after 20 kg of bait per kilometre were placed along the wire, that time increased 20-fold on the first night and remained high for the next four nights (by which time all of the bait had been consumed). After that there was a gradual decline in time spent near the wire over a further 18 days. The increased amount of time spent near the wire was the product of both an increase in the number of visits and the duration of those visits.Conclusions. We conclude that sowing prefeed in concentrated strips is likely to greatly increase the probability of possums rapidly encountering toxic bait sown along the same strips, especially where the toxin can be sown immediately after all of the prefeed has been eaten.Implications. Possum control operations can now be designed to apply much smaller quantities of toxic bait that will potentially reduce concerns about 1080 poisoning because of a move away from broadcast sowing operations that are intuitively disliked by many, to much more localised baiting regimes.

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Learned bait-shyness by possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) towards baits containing cyanide, 1080, cholecalciferol, or brodifacoum

Cited by 7 publications

References 13 publications

Targeted Mop up and Robust Response Tools Can Achieve and Maintain Possum Freedom on the Mainland

Targeted Mop up and Robust Response Tools Can Achieve and Maintain Possum Freedom on the Mainland

Dual aerial 1080 baiting operation removes predators at a large spatial scale

Effect of prefeeding on foraging patterns of brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) about prefeed transects

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