Trapping efficiency of common brushtail possums is affected by rainfall
Alice Yu Si
A * , Alexandra Kate Ross A and Helen Amanda Crisp A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Australian Wildlife Conservancy Yookamurra Wildlife Sanctuary, Fisher, SA 5354, Australia.
Australian Mammalogy 45(2) 246-250 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM22036
Submitted: 19 November 2022 Accepted: 16 February 2023 Published: 3 April 2022
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Mammal Society.
Abstract
Determining factors that influence the trapping success of semi-arboreal species will inform wildlife management, improve capture rates, and enhance data reliability. We compared the capture success of common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) across different rainfall levels using data collected over a 12-year period at a wildlife sanctuary in South Australia. We found that low rainfall in the 6 months prior to a cage trapping survey increased the average number of common brushtail possums trapped per night, likely due to the attraction of the high-calorie bait combined with increased movement of possums at ground level.
Keywords: behaviour, cage trapping, capture rates, ecology, management strategies, Phalangeridae, rainfall, semi-arboreal mammal, trap success.
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