Abstract
Human–wildlife conflicts threaten a huge diversity of species and affect the livelihoods of millions of people. There is an increasing need to develop management strategies that meet the needs of humans and wildlife. A variety of conflict mitigation measures are available, but for many species like the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) their effectiveness has not been scientifically tested. Deterrents could provide a cost effective and efficient means of reducing wombat damage to agriculture. Anecdotal accounts suggest that ‘Blood & Bone’ (a plant fertiliser) and compact discs may deter wombats. This study aimed to assess their effectiveness in deterring free-living wombats from burrows on agricultural land using remote cameras to monitor changes in activity and behaviour before and after treatment application. Mixed-effects models revealed a significant decrease in the number of visits to burrows following the application of compact discs (P<0.01). ‘Blood & Bone’ did not deter wombats from burrows (P=0.81), but increased exploratory behaviour (P=0.01) and decreased travelling behaviour (P=0.05) were observed. This suggests that visual cues may be more effective in deterring wombats from burrows than olfactory cues, possibly because they are more easily detected from further away.
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
2 articles.
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1. Marsupials in Urban Environments;American and Australasian Marsupials;2023
2. Marsupials in Urban Environments;American and Australasian Marsupials;2023