The impacts and management of foxes Vulpes vulpes in Australia

Abstract

1. The successful introduction of the red fox Vulpes vulpes into Australia in the 1870s has had dramatic and deleterious impacts on both native fauna and agricultural production. Historical accounts detail how the arrival of foxes in many areas coincided with the local demise of native fauna. Recent analyses suggest that native fauna can be successfully reintroduced to their former ranges only if foxes have been controlled, and several replicated removal experiments have confirmed that foxes are the major agents of extirpation of native fauna. Predation is the primary cause of losses, but competition and transmission of disease may be important for some species.m am_159 181..211 2. In agricultural landscapes, fox predation on lambs can cause losses of 1-30%; variation is due to flock size, health and management, as well as differences in the timing and duration of lambing and the density of foxes. 3. Fox control measures include trapping, shooting, den fumigation and exclusion fencing; baiting using the toxin 1080 is the most commonly employed method. Depending on the baiting strategy, habitat and area covered, baiting can reduce fox activity by 50-97%. We review patterns of baiting in a large sheep-grazing region in central New South Wales, and propose guidelines to increase landholder awareness of baiting strategies, to concentrate and coordinate bait use, and to maximize the cost-effectiveness of baiting programs. 4. The variable reduction in fox density within the baited area, together with the ability of the fox to recolonize rapidly, suggest that current baiting practices in eastern Australia are often ineffective, and that reforms are required. These might include increasing landholder awareness and involvement in group control programs, and the use of more efficient broadscale techniques, such as aerial baiting.

Unexpected outcomes of invasive predator control: the importance of evaluating conservation management actions

“…Even though fox baiting is effective for the conservation of native medium-sized mammal species (Dexter & Murray, 2009;Saunders et al, 2010), we found that fox baiting was only a cost-effective management strategy for malleefowl in some circumstances, depending on the number of years a site had been baited. However, in most situations, malleefowl conservation did not effectively benefit from fox baiting at current levels of investment.…”

“…In addition to the fox baiting implemented for conservation, fox baiting often occurs on agricultural properties surrounding malleefowl habitat, with potential indirect benefits to this threatened species. Of all exotic pest species in Australia, the European red fox is one of the greatest causes of loss in agriculture (Bomford & Hart, 2002;Reddiex et al, 2006) and has severe ecological impacts on native wildlife (Saunders, Gentle & Dickman, 2010). One study concluded that captive bred malleefowl chicks, when released into the wild, survived longer in areas with intense fox baiting compared with sites where fox control was not conducted (Priddel & Wheeler, 1997).…”

Can Cage-Trap Performance in Capturing Red Foxes Be Improved by Using Different Baits and Scent Attractants?

“…Nevertheless, our results may be useful to improve the effectiveness of control strategies in other conservation contexts, where the red fox is an invasive species and the risk for native species to be caught is low. For example, poison baiting is a legal and widespread control method in Australia (Saunders et al 2010), and the use of urine of targeted species as an attractant may contribute to increased bait uptake, therefore improving control effectiveness (see also Van Polanen Petel et al 2001).…”

Top-Predators as Biodiversity Regulators: Contemporary Issues Affecting Knowledge and Management of Dingoes in Australia

“…1, yet they are often assumed to be so in studies of dingoes [32]. The (mostly negative) relationships between exotic mesopredators and threatened prey species (R3) are relatively well understood from other studies [81,82], as is the relationship between lethal dingo control and dingoes (R1) [64,83]. The other two relationships (R4 and R6) have received less attention (Table 1), although these are arguably the two relationships most able to address questions relating to the trophic consequences of dingo control.…”