Increasing the target-specificity of ERADICAT® for feral cat (Felis catus) control by encapsulating a toxicant

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl A. Hetherington ◽  
David Algar ◽  
Harriet Mills ◽  
Roberta Bencini

ERADICAT®, a sausage-type meat bait, has been developed for use in managing feral cat (Felis catus) populations throughout Western Australia. However, concern about potential exposure of non-target species to bait-delivered toxicants has led to the development of a technique to more specifically target feral cats using a pellet. Research into the consumption, by cats and native animals, of toxic pellets implanted within the ERADICAT® bait has been simulated using ball bearings as a substitute pellet. Results from our work indicate that encapsulating the toxicant may pose less risk of poisoning to chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii), woylies (Bettongia pencillata) and southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) as they consumed significantly fewer ball bearings (P = 0.003, <0.001, <0.001) than semi-feral cats (P = 0.07). Theoretically, a toxic pellet will not reduce the effectiveness of the ERADICAT® bait as there was no significant difference between consumption of baits and the consumption of ball bearings in feral cats (P = 0.07). Therefore, baits containing a toxic pellet have the potential to be a more selective method to control feral cats.

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 471 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Algar ◽  
R. I. Brazell

The use of poison baits is an effective method for controlling feral cats. However, take of baits by non-target animals may place those animals at risk of poisoning and also reduces the availability of baits to the target animal, feral cats. Therefore, techniques that reduce non-target take of baits are desirable. Earlier trials have suggested that suspending baits might prevent most non-target animals from removing the baits while maintaining their attractiveness and availability to feral cats. This paper assesses the efficacy of a bait-suspension device to provide a relatively simple means of controlling feral cats (across age and sex classes). In addition, it confirms the high target specificity of the bait-delivery mechanism on Australia’s Christmas Island, where non-target species would have posed a problem with baits laid on the ground. The technique may have potential application on other islands where similar non-target species are threatened by baiting programs or at specific sites on the mainland where aerial or on-track deployment of feral cat baits may pose an unacceptable risk to non-target species.


2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. de Tores ◽  
Duncan R. Sutherland ◽  
Judy R. Clarke ◽  
Robert F. Hill ◽  
Sean W. Garretson ◽  
...  

Context The CURIOSITY® bait is the name coined for a variation of the existing sausage-style cat bait, ERADICAT®. The latter is used under experimental permit in Western Australia for research associated with cat control. The CURIOSITY bait differs from ERADICAT by providing a pH-buffered (less acidic) medium and has been proposed to reduce the risk to non-target species by encapsulating a toxin in a pellet. We trialled a prototype pellet proposed for encapsulation of 1080 and/or alternative toxins, with delivery proposed through the CURIOSITY bait. Aim Our aim was to determine whether the pellet was consumed by non-target native species from south-west of Western Australia. Methods Trials involved use of a non-toxic biomarker, Rhodamine B, encapsulated within the pellet and inserted into the CURIOSITY® bait. Uptake of the encapsulated biomarker was assessed in captive trials for the target species, the feral cat (Felis catus) and two non-target species of varanid lizard, Rosenberg’s goanna (Varanus rosenbergi) and Gould’s goanna (V. gouldii) and the non-target mammal species chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii) and southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus). Uptake of the encapsulated biomarker was also assessed in field trials for a range of native species. Key results Captive trials demonstrated feral cats will consume the CURIOSITY bait and pellet. However, results from captive and field trials indicated several non-target species also consumed the bait and pellet. We also found the pellet itself was not sufficiently robust for use in a bait. As with previously reported studies, we found Rhodamine B to be an effective biomarker for use in cats. We also developed a technique whereby Rhodamine B can be used as a biomarker in reptiles. However, its use as a biomarker in other mammalian species was confounded by what appeared to be background, or pre-existing, levels of fluorescence, or banding, in their whiskers. Conclusion The prototype pellet is unsuitable in its current form for use with the CURIOSITY bait. We caution that the CURIOSITY bait has non-target issues in south-west of Western Australia and any proposed variations to this bait, or the ERADICAT® bait, need to be rigorously assessed for their potential risk to non-target species and assessed for the level of uptake by cats, irrespective of their suitability/unsuitability as a medium for delivery of an encapsulated toxin. We believe the threat to biodiversity-conservation values from unmitigated feral-cat predation of native fauna poses a significant and real threat and we recommend urgent investment of resources to address the issue of cat predation in a coordinated and collaborative manner within Australia and New Zealand.


1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 425 ◽  
Author(s):  
NP Brothers ◽  
IJ Skira ◽  
GR Copson

246 feral cats were shot on Macquarie Island, Australia, between Dec. 1976 and Feb. 1981. The sex ratio ( males : females ) was 1:0.8. The percentages of animals with tabby, orange and black coats were 74, 26 and 2 resp. [sic]. Of the 64 orange cats, 56 were males . The breeding season was Oct.-Mar., with a peak in Nov.-Dec. The number of embryos in the 14 pregnant females averaged 4.7 (range = 1-9). The size of the 23 litters that were observed averaged 3 (range = 1-8). Kitten survival to 6 months of age was estimated to be <43%.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Heiniger ◽  
Skye F. Cameron ◽  
Graeme Gillespie

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.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Paltridge ◽  
David Gibson ◽  
Glenn Edwards

Feral cats (Felis catus) occur throughout central Australia. In this study, we analysed the stomach contents of 390 feral cats collected between 1990 and 1994 from the southern half of the Northern Territory. Cats fed on a wide variety of invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals, including animals up to their own body mass in size. Mammals were the most important prey but reptiles were regularly eaten in summer and birds were important in winter. Invertebrates were present in the diet in all seasons. Carrion appeared in stomach samples during dry winters only and this has implications for future control of feral cats.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas P. Askew ◽  
Flavie Vial ◽  
Graham C. Smith

AbstractThis study sought to determine whether a change in the abundance of feral cats (Felis catus) in three areas of England had occurred between the completion of a survey undertaken by the Ministry for Agriculture Fisheries and Food in 1986/7 and the turn of the century. In the event of a rabies outbreak occurring in Britain, feral cats would be one vector of the disease that would need to be controlled under the Rabies (control) Order 1974. A total of 741 “high risk sites”, found to provide appropriate conditions for feral cats, were surveyed between 1999 and 2000. The total number of feral cat colonies located within the survey areas was found to have fallen by 37% from 68 in 1986 to 43 in 1999/2000, translating to an estimated 212-247 fewer individual feral cats. Factories/trading estates and industrial premises continued to be the most common sites associated with urban feral cat colonies. However, the closing down of many traditional industries, such as mills and dockyards, and their replacement by more secure and insulated modern buildings, less amenable to feral cats finding warmth and food, had assisted the observed fall in numbers along with the effectiveness of neutering programs which are now taking place on many sites. Through this study information regarding feral cat colonies’ in urban landscapes as well colony size was gathered and fed into rabies contingency plans to help keep Britain rabies free into the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-113
Author(s):  
Nurul Fadhilatunnisa ◽  
Sudarti Sudarti ◽  
Wachju Subchan

Inappropriate use of rodenticides by most market communities has resulted in a reduction in the population of feral cats (Felis catus) found in the market. If this continues, it can lead to the extinction of feral cat species in the area. This study aims to describe the level of knowledge and attitudes of the market community regarding the use of rodenticides and their impact on feral cats (Felis catus). This study used a survey method, namely interviews and observations of 28 respondents who claimed to have used rodenticides. The results showed that 35.7% of respondents had a low level of knowledge, 39.3% had a moderate level of knowledge, and 25% had a high level of knowledge. As for the attitude aspect, the majority of the community obtained quite good criteria with an average of 68.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 589
Author(s):  
M. Cowan ◽  
D. Moro ◽  
H. Anderson ◽  
J. Angus ◽  
S. Garretson ◽  
...  

Abstract ContextFeral cats (Felis catus) are known predators of northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus). Management to suppress feral cat densities often uses the poison sodium monofluoroacetate (compound 1080) in baits broadcast aerially. Eradicat® baits have demonstrated efficacy at reducing feral cat densities in some environments. However, these are not registered for use in northern Australia because their risk to non-target northern quolls remains unknown. AimsWe investigated the risks of aerially deployed feral cat Eradicat® baits containing 4.5mg of the poison 1080 on the survival of free-ranging northern quolls. MethodsThe study was conducted over a 20000-ha area in the Pilbara bioregion in Western Australia. Twenty-one wild northern quolls from a baited area and 20 quolls from a nearby reference area were fitted with radio-collars, and their survivorship was compared following the aerial deployment of over 9700 feral cat baits. Survivorship of quolls was assessed before and after the baiting campaign. Key resultsFive radio-collared quolls died at the baited area; four mortalities were due to feral cat predation, and the cause of one death was uncertain. At the reference area, seven radio-collared quolls were confirmed dead; three mortalities were due to feral cat predation, two from wild dog predation, and the cause of death of two could not be determined. Evidence for sublethal poison impacts on quolls, inferred by monitoring reproductive output, was lacking; average litter size was higher in quolls from the baited area than in those from the unbaited area, and within range of litters reported elsewhere, suggesting that acute effects of 1080 (if ingested) on reproductive success were unlikely. ConclusionsRadio-collared northern quolls survived the trial using Eradicat® baits, and females showed no acute effects of sublethal poisoning on the basis of reproductive output. A lack of quoll deaths attributed to 1080 poisoning suggests that the use of Eradicat® poses a low risk to northern quolls in the Pilbara. Importantly, the high level of mortalities associated with predation by feral cats, and to a lesser extent, canids, validates the threats of these introduced predators on quolls, suggesting that their control in areas where quolls are present is likely to be beneficial for the recovery of this species. ImplicationsLand managers aiming to conserve northern quolls in the Pilbara would see conservation benefits if they introduced an operational landscape-scale feral cat baiting program using Eradicat® baits, with appropriate monitoring.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 762
Author(s):  
S. Comer ◽  
L. Clausen ◽  
S. Cowen ◽  
J. Pinder ◽  
A. Thomas ◽  
...  

Abstract ContextFeral cat predation has had a significant impact on native Australian fauna in the past 200 years. In the early 2000s, population monitoring of the western ground parrot showed a dramatic decline from the pre-2000 range, with one of three meta-populations declining to very low levels and a second becoming locally extinct. We review 8 years of integrated introduced predator control, which trialled the incorporation of the feral cat bait Eradicat® into existing fox baiting programs. AimsTo test the efficacy of integrating feral cat control into an existing introduced predator control program in an adaptive management framework conducted in response to the decline of native species. The objective was to protect the remaining western ground parrot populations and other threatened fauna on the south coast of Western Australia. MethodsA landscape-scale feral cat and fox baiting program was delivered across south coast reserves that were occupied by western ground parrots in the early 2000s. Up to 500000ha of national parks and natures reserves were baited per annum. Monitoring was established to evaluate both the efficacy of landscape-scale baiting in management of feral cat populations, and the response of several native fauna species, including the western ground parrot, to an integrated introduced predator control program. Key resultsOn average, 28% of radio-collared feral cats died from Eradicat® baiting each year, over a 5-year period. The results varied from 0% to 62% between years. Changes in site occupancy by feral cats, as measured by detection on camera traps, was also variable, with significant declines detected after baiting in some years and sites. Trends in populations of native fauna, including the western ground parrot and chuditch, showed positive responses to integrated control of foxes and cats. ImplicationsLandscape-scale baiting of feral cats in ecosystems on the south coast of Western Australia had varying success when measured by direct knockdown of cats and site occupancy as determined by camera trapping; however, native species appeared to respond favourably to integrated predator control. For the protection of native species, we recommend ongoing baiting for both foxes and feral cats, complemented by post-bait trapping of feral cats. We advocate monitoring baiting efficacy in a well designed adaptive management framework to deliver long-term recovery of threatened species that have been impacted by cats.


2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn A. Fancourt

Feral cats (Felis catus) have contributed to the extinction of numerous Australian mammals and are a major threat to many species of conservation significance. Small mammals are considered to be those at greatest risk of cat predation, with risk typically inferred from dietary studies. However, dietary studies may provide only weak inference as to the risk of cat predation for some species. The most compelling evidence of predation risk comes from direct observation of killing events; however, such observations are rare and photographic evidence is even rarer. I present photographic evidence of a feral cat killing and consuming an adult female Tasmanian pademelon (Thylogale billardierii). This observation provides direct evidence that feral cats can kill prey up to 4 kg in body mass, with potential implications for the conservation of medium-sized mammals.


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