Helicopter darting is a useful capture technique for large mammals but presents considerable animal welfare risks. This study assessed helicopter darting for chital deer in Australia and demonstrated that the technique caused considerable adverse animal welfare events including mortalities. We make recommendations for how to monitor and refine helicopter darting for chital deer. Photograph by Jordan Hampton.

Control of foxes in cities is vital to protect native species; however, it faces multiple challenges because of the proximity to humans. We assessed the safety of the canid-pest ejector as a potential method of fox control in cities. We provide recommendations for fox control using ejectors in urban areas, including safe places to use the ejector and the effect of distance from habitation. Photograph by Margarita Gil-Fernandez (from camera traps).

Our results indicate that the negative impact of domestic dog generates changes in the composition and local distribution of the species. Management action in this protected area must initiate control of domestic dogs to minimise their impact. Photograph by Atilla Ferreguetti.

Avian predators play a key role in rodent pest ecology but are limited by the availability of nesting resources. This study aimed to design a suitable pole-mounted nesting box for eastern barn owls on remote, house mouse-affected crops in southern Australia, and found that the prototype was successful for barn owl reproduction and observation. This design promotes barn owl welfare and breeding while maximising minimally invasive monitoring techniques for future research. Photograph by Kelly Meaney (Scoutguard Trail Camera).

The effectiveness of education-based, non-invasive shark mitigation campaigns depends on an understanding of shark habitat use near swimming beaches. This study characterised the vertical habitat use of white sharks off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a popular vacation destination, and determined that sharks spent almost half of their time at shallow depths where they may overlap with recreational water users. Our results can be used to better understand the risk posed to humans at this emerging white shark aggregation site and to inform public safety practices. Photograph by Wayne Davis.

Capture of shorebirds on their nests is standard practice used by research and conservation organisations across the world. We aimed to assess if the capture of adult masked lapwings on the nest and associated techniques (ringing, flagging and blood sampling) adversely affects hatching success. Trapping incubating lapwings using our current protocols does not compromise the hatching success of eggs, at least where foxes are absent. We urge that studies involving the capture of adult shorebirds on the nest to frequently analyse any potential adverse effects of their methods, especially where foxes are present. Photograph by Daniel Lees.

The American red squirrel and northern flying squirrel disappear when clearcut harvesting leaves essentially no forested habitat. We tested the hypothesis that abundance, reproduction and body mass of these tree squirrel populations would be greater in large than small patches of retention forest on new clearcuts. Our results were short-term but habitat quality, although variable, was apparently sufficient to maintain the occurrence of both species across patch sizes ranging from 0.3 to 20.0 ha. Photograph by Druscilla Sullivan.

Determining species presence and distribution is crucial for effective population management, particularly in the assessment of environmental impacts of proposed actions on threatened species. In Australia, environmental referral guidelines require evaluation of new survey methods (e.g. wildlife detection dogs) before their inclusion. Evaluation of new methods is also important for advancing population monitoring, particularly for threatened species. This study determined quoll detection dogs were an accurate and effective survey method, and a beneficial complimentary method for detecting quoll population presence. Photograph by Ivell Whyte.