An interesting short read on how to eradicate feral animals in feral free fenced areas.

>>In 2016, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, in partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as part of its Saving our Species program, embarked on a historic project. AWC delivers ecological and land management services for two areas of the public estate: Mallee Cliffs National Park and the Pilliga State Conservation Area. Under this historic partnership, AWC is establishing large-scale, feral predator-free fenced areas and restoring regionally-extinct mammals at each park.

Following fence construction, an immense, sustained eradication program continues to be implemented at both Mallee Cliffs and Pilliga to remove feral animals within the fenced areas. These two areas form the largest fenced, feral predator-free refuges in national parks on mainland Australia. When completing projects on this scale, adaptability and perseverance are critical, with AWC employing a variety of techniques to achieve success.

https://www.australianwildlife.org/benchmarking-awcs-progress-at-two-nsw-national-parks/

Some of the results of feral free fenced areas.

>>Over the past two centuries, large areas of Australia have lost most of their small to medium-sized native mammals: carnivorous marsupials, Bilbies, bettongs, bandicoots, small wallabies and native rodents. This hollowing out of our mammal fauna represents a major loss of our natural and cultural heritage, and a part of our national identity.

No other nation has faced such an extinction crisis: 10 per cent of Australian mammals have gone extinct and another 20 per cent are threatened, with predation by feral cats and foxes a primary driver of these extinctions and declines.

The consequences for conservation extend beyond the loss of species to the disruption of the ecological processes in which the lost mammals participate – soil engineering (digging for food and shelter), spore and seed dispersal, herbivory and predation.

Similarly, since construction of the fence at Mt Gibson, analysis of bird survey data has shown some birds are recorded more frequently inside the fence than outside (Smith et al. 2020).

Other work in progress indicates ground-active birds are particularly advantaged by the exclusion of feral predators. There are, for example, higher levels of active Malleefowl nest mounds inside the fenced areas at Scotia and Mt Gibson than outside where foxes and cats persist.

https://www.australianwildlife.org/reintroductions-deliver-exciting-outcomes-for-threatened-wildlife/

PermeateFree said:

Love their work :)

Data confirms success of AWC model.

Most remarkable is the over 500 per cent average increase in mammal abundance for 15 taxa on island and mainland feral predator-free safe-havens between 2000 and 2016.

This is further evidence that, where AWC establishes feral predator-free fenced areas, we are making a major contribution to the conservation of Australia’s threatened mammals.

https://www.australianwildlife.org/awc-makes-major-contribution-to-national-threatened-species-index-for-mammals/

In recent years, control methods have improved for feral predators. The introduction of canid pest ejectors (CPEs) has assisted with controlling foxes, while considerable effort has gone into developing baits that are attractive to feral cats. Field trials of machines that detect and spray poison on feral cats and foxes are also underway in Australia (Read et al. 2019). However, unless we can robustly measure densities of feral cats and foxes, we can’t be sure that deployment of any control measure has a meaningful impact on their populations. Without that, we cannot commit to releasing threatened species into landscapes that still support feral predators.

Over the last decade, AWC has undertaken a series of ground-breaking research projects aimed at understanding the ecology of feral cats and foxes, their impacts on native animals, and how those impacts might be mitigated. The initial research was conducted primarily in the Kimberley and resulted in a series of papers on feral cats and their management in the savannas of northern Australia (e.g., MacGregor et al. 2014, 2017).

Since 2015, AWC’s feral predator research program has shifted to Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary, in western New South Wales. Here, Drs David Roshier and Andrew Carter have conducted intensive camera- trap monitoring across 14,000 hectares while simultaneously tracking a large number of cats and foxes fitted with GPS collars. The purpose of the research has been to determine the movement patterns of foxes and cats and to use this information to refine statistical methods for estimating population density of these predators (see, e.g., Carter et al. 2019).

A major finding of AWC’s research is that feral cats travel vast distances. Each colour represents a single cat’s movements across the landscape at Pilliga.

https://www.australianwildlife.org/feral-predator-control-for-life-beyond-the-fence/

When I was studying geology, the department secretary would wear her beautiful black fur coat on the days when the natural resources students were enrolling.

She would cop flack from the students. And she would then point out that it was a cat-skin coat, and all the cats she shot and skinned were feral cats…

Michael V said:

When I was studying geology, the department secretary would wear her beautiful black fur coat on the days when the natural resources students were enrolling.

She would cop flack from the students. And she would then point out that it was a cat-skin coat, and all the cats she shot and skinned were feral cats…

Mr buffy has got what we take to be a cat skin hat – Russian style, with the ear flaps. He bought it near the Great Wall in China, and was assured it was mink…we don’t care. It’s a very warm hat. It’s got stain padded lining. Too hot for me to wear.

> No other nation has faced such an extinction crisis

True.

> 10 per cent of Australian mammals have gone extinct

Well, if you count diprotodon.

“Efforts to remove feral animals include: Laying more than 350 ground baits; Deploying 69 Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs); 12,200 trap nights (cage and soft jaw traps); 6,700 kilometres of road ‘dragging’ for footprint track identification; and 16,600 camera trap nights.

At Mallee Cliffs, eradication efforts have resulted in the removal of two cats, 12 foxes and 18 goats … Specialist detection dogs have been used in the Pilliga to locate elusive feral predators. Four foxes, four cats and 59 goats have been removed.”

It seems a lot of effort for very little return. But it’s got to be done that way. There isn’t any valid alternative. Except perhaps for the goats.

mollwollfumble said:

> No other nation has faced such an extinction crisis

True.

> 10 per cent of Australian mammals have gone extinct

Well, if you count diprotodon.

“Efforts to remove feral animals include: Laying more than 350 ground baits; Deploying 69 Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs); 12,200 trap nights (cage and soft jaw traps); 6,700 kilometres of road ‘dragging’ for footprint track identification; and 16,600 camera trap nights.

At Mallee Cliffs, eradication efforts have resulted in the removal of two cats, 12 foxes and 18 goats … Specialist detection dogs have been used in the Pilliga to locate elusive feral predators. Four foxes, four cats and 59 goats have been removed.”

It seems a lot of effort for very little return. But it’s got to be done that way. There isn’t any valid alternative. Except perhaps for the goats.

You are forgetting about the baits laid and the CPE. They were the survivors that were not tempted by the baits.

mollwollfumble said:

> No other nation has faced such an extinction crisis

True.

> 10 per cent of Australian mammals have gone extinct

Well, if you count diprotodon.

“Efforts to remove feral animals include: Laying more than 350 ground baits; Deploying 69 Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs); 12,200 trap nights (cage and soft jaw traps); 6,700 kilometres of road ‘dragging’ for footprint track identification; and 16,600 camera trap nights.

At Mallee Cliffs, eradication efforts have resulted in the removal of two cats, 12 foxes and 18 goats … Specialist detection dogs have been used in the Pilliga to locate elusive feral predators. Four foxes, four cats and 59 goats have been removed.”

It seems a lot of effort for very little return. But it’s got to be done that way. There isn’t any valid alternative. Except perhaps for the goats.

Australia has the highest rate of vertebrate mammal extinction in the world, and invasive species are our number one threat. Cats and foxes have driven 22 native mammals to extinction across central Australia and a new wave of decline – largely from cats – is taking place across northern Australia.May 9, 2019

https://theconversation.com/invasive-species-are-australias-number-one-extinction-threat-116809

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

> No other nation has faced such an extinction crisis

True.

> 10 per cent of Australian mammals have gone extinct

Well, if you count diprotodon.

“Efforts to remove feral animals include: Laying more than 350 ground baits; Deploying 69 Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs); 12,200 trap nights (cage and soft jaw traps); 6,700 kilometres of road ‘dragging’ for footprint track identification; and 16,600 camera trap nights.

At Mallee Cliffs, eradication efforts have resulted in the removal of two cats, 12 foxes and 18 goats … Specialist detection dogs have been used in the Pilliga to locate elusive feral predators. Four foxes, four cats and 59 goats have been removed.”

It seems a lot of effort for very little return. But it’s got to be done that way. There isn’t any valid alternative. Except perhaps for the goats.

Australia has the highest rate of vertebrate mammal extinction in the world, and invasive species are our number one threat. Cats and foxes have driven 22 native mammals to extinction across central Australia and a new wave of decline – largely from cats – is taking place across northern Australia.May 9, 2019

https://theconversation.com/invasive-species-are-australias-number-one-extinction-threat-116809

Nice to see in the Gruin that dogs and cats are fingered in the extinctions, a nice change from blaming whitey.

AwesomeO said:

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

> No other nation has faced such an extinction crisis

True.

> 10 per cent of Australian mammals have gone extinct

Well, if you count diprotodon.

“Efforts to remove feral animals include: Laying more than 350 ground baits; Deploying 69 Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs); 12,200 trap nights (cage and soft jaw traps); 6,700 kilometres of road ‘dragging’ for footprint track identification; and 16,600 camera trap nights.

At Mallee Cliffs, eradication efforts have resulted in the removal of two cats, 12 foxes and 18 goats … Specialist detection dogs have been used in the Pilliga to locate elusive feral predators. Four foxes, four cats and 59 goats have been removed.”

It seems a lot of effort for very little return. But it’s got to be done that way. There isn’t any valid alternative. Except perhaps for the goats.

Australia has the highest rate of vertebrate mammal extinction in the world, and invasive species are our number one threat. Cats and foxes have driven 22 native mammals to extinction across central Australia and a new wave of decline – largely from cats – is taking place across northern Australia.May 9, 2019

https://theconversation.com/invasive-species-are-australias-number-one-extinction-threat-116809

Nice to see in the Gruin that dogs and cats are fingered in the extinctions, a nice change from blaming whitey.

List of extinct animals of Australia Following is a list of Australian animal extinctions from the arrival of the first European colonists in 1788 (before the Aboriginal and prehistory extinctions) until the present. There are 24 birds (1 from the mainland), 7 frogs, and 27 mammal species or subspecies strongly believed to have become extinct in Australia since European settlement.

Extinctions are recorded under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Several invertebrate species have also been listed as extinct by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN); however, this list is less exhaustive, as invertebrates are more difficult to survey and are less well studied.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_Australia#Mammals

AwesomeO said:

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

> No other nation has faced such an extinction crisis

True.

> 10 per cent of Australian mammals have gone extinct

Well, if you count diprotodon.

“Efforts to remove feral animals include: Laying more than 350 ground baits; Deploying 69 Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs); 12,200 trap nights (cage and soft jaw traps); 6,700 kilometres of road ‘dragging’ for footprint track identification; and 16,600 camera trap nights.

At Mallee Cliffs, eradication efforts have resulted in the removal of two cats, 12 foxes and 18 goats … Specialist detection dogs have been used in the Pilliga to locate elusive feral predators. Four foxes, four cats and 59 goats have been removed.”

It seems a lot of effort for very little return. But it’s got to be done that way. There isn’t any valid alternative. Except perhaps for the goats.

Australia has the highest rate of vertebrate mammal extinction in the world, and invasive species are our number one threat. Cats and foxes have driven 22 native mammals to extinction across central Australia and a new wave of decline – largely from cats – is taking place across northern Australia.May 9, 2019

https://theconversation.com/invasive-species-are-australias-number-one-extinction-threat-116809

Nice to see in the Gruin that dogs and cats are fingered in the extinctions, a nice change from blaming whitey.

Cats and foxes are killing small animals 24 hours a day and are very efficient at it. Whitey destroys their habitat, either killing them directly or making it easy for introduced predators to kill them. Whitey, cats and dogs make a very effective team.

PermeateFree said:

AwesomeO said:

PermeateFree said:

Australia has the highest rate of vertebrate mammal extinction in the world, and invasive species are our number one threat. Cats and foxes have driven 22 native mammals to extinction across central Australia and a new wave of decline – largely from cats – is taking place across northern Australia.May 9, 2019

https://theconversation.com/invasive-species-are-australias-number-one-extinction-threat-116809

Nice to see in the Gruin that dogs and cats are fingered in the extinctions, a nice change from blaming whitey.

Cats and foxes are killing small animals 24 hours a day and are very efficient at it. Whitey destroys their habitat, either killing them directly or making it easy for introduced predators to kill them. Whitey, cats and dogs make a very effective team.

dogs = foxes

PermeateFree said:

AwesomeO said:

PermeateFree said:

Australia has the highest rate of vertebrate mammal extinction in the world, and invasive species are our number one threat. Cats and foxes have driven 22 native mammals to extinction across central Australia and a new wave of decline – largely from cats – is taking place across northern Australia.May 9, 2019

https://theconversation.com/invasive-species-are-australias-number-one-extinction-threat-116809

Nice to see in the Gruin that dogs and cats are fingered in the extinctions, a nice change from blaming whitey.

Cats and foxes are killing small animals 24 hours a day and are very efficient at it. Whitey destroys their habitat, either killing them directly or making it easy for introduced predators to kill them. Whitey, cats and dogs make a very effective team.

22 mammal species introduced into Australia, and 22 native mammal species driven to extinction by introduced mammals. There’s an awful symmetry about this.

Makes sense

robots

mollwollfumble said:

PermeateFree said:

AwesomeO said:

Nice to see in the Gruin that dogs and cats are fingered in the extinctions, a nice change from blaming whitey.

Cats and foxes are killing small animals 24 hours a day and are very efficient at it. Whitey destroys their habitat, either killing them directly or making it easy for introduced predators to kill them. Whitey, cats and dogs make a very effective team.

22 mammal species introduced into Australia, and 22 native mammal species driven to extinction by introduced mammals. There’s an awful symmetry about this.

Yes

Speedy said:

mollwollfumble said:

PermeateFree said:

Cats and foxes are killing small animals 24 hours a day and are very efficient at it. Whitey destroys their habitat, either killing them directly or making it easy for introduced predators to kill them. Whitey, cats and dogs make a very effective team.

22 mammal species introduced into Australia, and 22 native mammal species driven to extinction by introduced mammals. There’s an awful symmetry about this.

Yes

I thought it would be more than that

As we mark World Environment Day, the recent release of the national Threatened Species Index for Mammals (TMX), developed by the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub, delivers a powerful call to action to protect Australia’s wildlife. In just over two decades – from 1995 to 2016 – numbers of Australia’s mammals have, on average, declined by more than a third.

But there is hope: the Index also emphatically shows that investment in effective conservation management pays off. At sites where conservation activity has occurred, native mammal populations have increased by an average of 46%. In feral predator-free areas, such as Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s (AWC) network of safe havens, average abundance has increased by more than 500%. This is a spectacular endorsement of our efforts and demonstrates the positive outcomes for wildlife that your support can generate. AWC’s feral predator strategy works and together we are effectively safeguarding our species.