Abstract
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.
Subject
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
12 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献