Mustering (gathering) feral horses often leads to mortalities, yet cause-specific mortality details are lacking. We analysed 393 individual horse mortality reports from 50 US musters across seven US states for 92 cause-specific mortality terms (classified as anatomical, causal or conditional) and demographic details (age, sex, and body condition). These results provide practical insight for potential cause-specific mortalities relative to demographics and muster techniques. Photograph by John Derek Scasta.

Feral cats pose a serious threat to wildlife; however, detecting their presence is difficult because cats are secretive and cryptic. We have demonstrated that trained detection dogs are highly efficient at finding cat scats in woodlands when areas are searched using a single transect line method, although finding a scat is harder when cat density is low or scats are old. We make recommendations on how to efficiently search woodlands with detection dogs and find cat scats when cats occur in varying densities, to inform the application of appropriate cat management strategies. Photograph by Mark Holdsworth.

The transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), continues to decimate the Tasmanian devil population, and an effective DFTD vaccine would be a valuable conservation tool. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an experimental DFTD vaccine given to devils subsequently released to the wild, and although the vaccine was not protective for the majority of re-trapped devils, it did correlate with an increased immune recognition of DFTD. We discuss how these and previous results are encouraging for ongoing DFTD vaccine development. Photograph by Simon DeSalis.

The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) may be an important influence on the timing of bird breeding in south-eastern Australia. The first eggs for 13 species of woodland birds were laid earlier when the mean SOI for April to July (the period directly before the breeding season) was positive, whereas temperature and rainfall had no influence. This is the first demonstration of the importance of SOI for the timing of breeding in this region. Photograph by Michael Guppy.

Understanding how koalas use different habitats in a mixed-tenure landscape can inform conservation management, particularly in light of the impacts of more frequent and intense bushfires predicted under climate change. This study focussed on tree choices made by koalas, and found that selection of tree species and size was not solely based on available proportions and that most koalas used trees on fragmented developed land, despite the availability of nearby intact native forests. We recommend protecting high-quality native forest and remnants on developed land adjoining asset protection zones, which improves the likelihood of koalas surviving bushfires. Photograph by Nicole Gallahar.

We present an improved approach for estimating the density of arboreal mammals by double-observer distance sampling and apply this to the threatened southern greater glider. We found that defensible population estimates could be obtained using double-observer distance sampling. Improved methods to estimate population size are crucial to understanding drivers of decline in this species and may have broader value for assessing the population status of other arboreal mammals. Photograph by Steve Smith.