Eradicating Feral Cats to protect Galapagos Land Iguanas: methods and strategies

A three-year programme to eradicate Feral Cats Felis catus from the island of Baltra in the Galapagos archipelago achieved good results by initially poisoning with sodium monofluoroacetate (compound 1080) then trapping or shooting the remaining cats. The poisoning campaign removed 90% of the cats, its success being attributable to pre-baiting with unpolsoned baits to accustom cats to eating baits and placing enough baits to ensure that all cats encountered several baits within their home range. This, together with the use of metaclopromide (Pileran) as an anti-emetic, overcame a problem associated with poor retention of 1080 in thawed fish baits that limited the dose available to 1 mg 1080/bait, a quality insufficient to kill large cats. Removal of the remaining cats was delayed by a weather-induced irruption of Black Rats Rattus rattus and House Mice Mus musculus that enabled recruitment of kittens in 2002, but made cats more susceptible to trapping and shooting in 2003 when rodent populations collapsed. Since July 2003 no sign of a cat has been detected on Baltra despite extensive searching and monitoring throughout 2004. As cat abundance has decreased there have been more locally-bred Juvenile iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) seen during annual censuses. However, such recruitment may reflect the increasing maturity and higher fecundity of iguanas repatriated from 1991 onwards rather than being a direct result of reduced cat predation alone. More time is necessary to determine the benefits of reduced cat predation on the Iguana population.

Download Full-text

Evaluating the susceptibility of invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) and house mice (Mus musculus) to brodifacoum as a prelude to rodent eradication on Lord Howe Island

Biological Invasions ◽

10.1007/s10530-018-1863-4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 833-845 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Robert Wheeler ◽

David Priddel ◽

Terence O’Dwyer ◽

Nicholas Carlile ◽

Dean Portelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

House Mice ◽

Lord Howe Island ◽

Rodent Eradication ◽

Black Rats

Download Full-text

Mouse predation affects breeding success of burrow-nesting petrels at sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102017000487 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 93-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ben J. Dilley ◽

Stefan Schoombie ◽

Kim Stevens ◽

Delia Davies ◽

Vonica Perold ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Video Surveillance ◽

Mus Musculus ◽

Breeding Success ◽

Felis Catus ◽

House Mice ◽

Marion Island ◽

Feral Cats ◽

Surveillance Cameras ◽

Procellaria Aequinoctialis

AbstractWe report the breeding success of four species of burrow-nesting petrels at sub-Antarctic Marion Island where house miceMus musculusare the sole introduced mammal. Feral catsFelis catuswere present on Marion for four decades from 1949, killing millions of seabirds and greatly reducing petrel populations. Cats were eradicated by 1991, but petrel populations have shown only marginal recoveries. We hypothesize that mice are suppressing their recovery through depredation of petrel eggs and chicks. Breeding success for winter breeders (grey petrelsProcellaria cinerea(34±21%) and great-winged petrelsPterodroma macroptera(52±7%)) were lower than for summer breeders (blue petrelsHalobaena caerulea(61±6%) and white-chinned petrelsProcellaria aequinoctialis(59±6%)) and among winter breeders most chick fatalities were of small chicks up to 14 days old. We assessed the extent of mouse predation by monitoring the inside of 55 burrow chambers with video surveillance cameras (4024 film days from 2012–16) and recorded fatal attacks on grey (3/18 nests filmed, 17%) and great-winged petrel chicks (1/19, 5%). Our results show that burrow-nesting petrels are at risk from mouse predation, providing further motivation for the eradication of mice from Marion Island.

Download Full-text

The control of introduced Rattus rattus L. on Lord Howe Island. II. The status of warfarin resistance in rats and mice

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr99013 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 659 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Justin Billing

Keyword(s):

Mus Musculus ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Untreated Group ◽

House Mice ◽

Lord Howe Island ◽

The Status ◽

Warfarin Resistance ◽

Rats And Mice ◽

Black Rats

Black rats (Rattus rattus) and house mice (Mus musculus) from Lord Howe Island were live-trapped, housed in the laboratory and tested for resistance to the anticoagulant poison warfarin. All rats fed warfarin (0.025% w/w) in their diet died within 4–12 days whereas no rats in the untreated group died. Mice fed warfarin at the same concentration over 21 days all survived. Black rats on Lord Howe Island remain susceptible to warfarin, but house mice appear resistant.

Download Full-text

Translocation Of Mala (Lagorchestes Hirsutus) From The Tanami Desert, Northern Territory To Trimouille Island, Western Australia

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am01037 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 37 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

D Langford ◽

AA Burbidge

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Northern Territory ◽

Red List ◽

Felis Catus ◽

Feral Cats ◽

In The Wild ◽

Conservation Park ◽

Red List Categories ◽

Black Rats

In June 1998, 30 mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus undescribed central Australian subspecies) were translocated from a semi-captive colony in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory to Trimouille Island, part of the Montebello Islands Conservation Park, off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. Mala are ?Extinct in the Wild? according to IUCN (1994, 2000) Red List Categories and Criteria. The translocation was made possible by the eradication of black rats (Rattus rattus) and confirmation of the absence of feral cats (Felis catus), which were recorded on the island in the 1970s. Post-release monitoring up to October 2001 showed that mala were breeding and expanding the area occupied.

Download Full-text

A survey of zoonotic pathogens carried by house mouse and black rat populations in Yucatan, Mexico

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268817001352 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 145 (11) ◽

pp. 2287-2295 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

J. A. PANTI-MAY ◽

R. R. C. DE ANDRADE ◽

Y. GURUBEL-GONZÁLEZ ◽

E. PALOMO-ARJONA ◽

L. SODÁ-TAMAYO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

House Mouse ◽

Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

Rat Kidney ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

House Mice ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Zoonotic Pathogens ◽

Black Rat ◽

Black Rats

SUMMARYThe house mouse (Mus musculus) and the black rat (Rattus rattus) are reservoir hosts for zoonotic pathogens, several of which cause neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Studies of the prevalence of these NTD-causing zoonotic pathogens, in house mice and black rats from tropical residential areas are scarce. Three hundred and two house mice and 161 black rats were trapped in 2013 from two urban neighbourhoods and a rural village in Yucatan, Mexico, and subsequently tested forTrypanosoma cruzi,Hymenolepis diminutaandLeptospira interrogans. Using the polymerase chain reaction we detectedT. cruziDNA in the hearts of 4·9% (8/165) and 6·2% (7/113) of house mice and black rats, respectively. We applied the sedimentation technique to detect eggs ofH. diminutain 0·5% (1/182) and 14·2% (15/106) of house mice and black rats, respectively. Through the immunofluorescent imprint method,L. interroganswas identified in 0·9% (1/106) of rat kidney impressions. Our results suggest that the black rat could be an important reservoir forT. cruziandH. diminutain the studied sites. Further studies examining seasonal and geographical patterns could increase our knowledge on the epidemiology of these pathogens in Mexico and the risk to public health posed by rodents.

Download Full-text

Feral Cats (Felis Catus L.) On New Zealand Farmland. Ii. Seasonal Activity.

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9920707 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 707 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

NPE Langham

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Home Range ◽

Social Behaviour ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Felis Catus ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Seasonal Activity ◽

Adult Males ◽

Feral Cats ◽

Resident Population

The activity patterns of a resident population of 15 feral cats (Felis catus L.) on New Zealand farmland were investigated from March 1984 until February 1987 by radiotelemetry. Females could be divided into two separate groups: (1) those denning in barns and (2) those denning in the swamp and willows. Females denning in barns were mainly nocturnal except in spring and summer when rearing kittens. Barn cats moved significantly further between dusk and dawn, except in autumn-winter, than those denning in swamp and willows which were active over 24 h. When not breeding, related females occupied the same barn. In both groups, the home range of female relatives overlapped. Males ranged over all habitats, and dominant adult males moved significantly further and had larger home ranges than other males in all seasons, except in summer when they rested, avoiding hot summer days. Only adult males were active during the day in spring and autumn-winter. The importance of a Zeitgeber in synchronising cat activity with that of the prey is examined. The significance of female den site is discussed in relation to proximity of food, predators, social behaviour and male defence.

Download Full-text