Unowned cats are common in urban regions, and it is possible they carry pathogens with significant implications for public health and/or domestic cat populations. We aimed to establish baseline prevalence data for key pathogens and found that gastrointestinal parasites are common (76.8% prevalence), Toxoplasma gondii prevalence was 7% and Feline Influenza Virus prevalence was 12%. These results show that unowned cats do carry pathogens of human and companion animal concern. This knowledge is essential to inform both unowned and owned cat management in urban regions. Image by Lana Harriott, Biosecurity Queensland..

The greater bilby has been successfully reintroduced to several exclosures and offshore islands free of feral predators, but there are few published studies examining the establishment of these critical subpopulations. In this 3-year study, we monitored the reintroduction of bilbies to such an exclosure. We demonstrate that bilbies are a model species for reintroductions to feral predator exclosures, due to their highly adaptable nature and capability for rapid population growth. Photograph by Neil Bloem.

Public interest in fertility control to manage economic and environmental impacts of wildlife is increasing. This special issue of Wildlife Research presents studies showcasing fertility control applications for a wide range of species. These studies also illustrate new methods to deliver contraceptives, models on the impact of fertility control on populations, feasibility, cost of fertility control, and discussions on the human dimension of this approach.

This article belongs to the Collection Fertility Control for Wildlife in the 21st Century.

Through citizen-science and remotely sensed data, we found no overall decrease in species richness of frogs after the 2019/2020 megafires, or with increased fire severity. Our results instead provide evidence that species richness and its response to fire is site-specific, and we explore possible explanations for this, while emphasising the need to monitor threatened and less-common frog species. Photograph by Jodi Rowley.

Boa constrictor is a key vertebrate biosecurity risk species in Australia. This study aimed to develop rapid presumptive trace DNA detection methods for the detection of B. constrictor in biosecurity and compliance contexts. We successfully designed and tested a colourimetric and fluorescence-based test with appropriate sensitivity and specificity, advancing preparedness and surveillance. Image created in Canva.

Disease risk is an important consideration for wildlife translocations. This study aimed to reduce uncertainty surrounding the risk posed by Chlamydia for a translocation of native Australian rodents, and showed despite widespread detection of Chlamydia, the risks were likely low. Our results highlight knowledge gaps surrounding Australian rodent health and opportunities to address these to inform future conservation planning. Photographs by Fiona Knox.

The introduction of non-native herbivores into new environments can threaten the long-term survival of plant species and communities. We assessed the diet of sambar deer in alpine communities of Australia and observed significant variation in diet over a 3-month period. We emphasise the importance of monitoring vegetation community changes in the presence of novel wildlife to protect at-risk plant species. Photograph by Matthew Quin.

Wildlife-detection dogs are a fast, efficient tool for detecting animals, animal sign, and wildlife diseases, but their potential is under-utilised. We explore how management outcomes can be improved by combining dogs’ ability to detect targets with handlers’ ability to mount a rapid response. Applications range from conserving endangered species to eradication of invasive species. Photograph by A. S. Glen.

The east and west coasts of Australia form the breeding grounds for two of the world’s largest and fastest-growing populations of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). This study aimed to quantify and compare the morphometrics and body condition of the two populations. Although we found no morphometric differences between the populations, our results indicated that sexually mature reproductive classes on the west coast were in significantly poorer body condition than were their east coast counterparts. Our study highlighted the need to assess populations individually to develop appropriate conservation monitoring and management. Phototgraph by Grace Russell.

Feral ungulate species have high water requirements, yet research about their use of savanna waterholes in northern Australia is lacking. This study demonstrates that feral ungulate species have varied responses to water scarcity, so culling by conservation land managers may be optimised by targeting species under different conditions. Our findings indicate climate change will exacerbate ungulate impacts in water-limited ecosystems. Photograph by Helenna Mihailou.

There is currently no standardised survey methodology for the detection of the threatened ghost bat at a landscape scale. In this study, we trialled call playback using the ghost bat’s social vocalisations at pre-determined distances from known roosts and then applied the method across a survey area of 65 010 ha. Our results identified that call playback is a reliable method of surveying for this cryptic species away from the roost in landscape-scale assessments. Still photograph from video camera footage.

Deer are expanding in distribution and abundance in Australia, and effective deer capture methods are needed for telemetry studies of these invasive species. We assessed the use of aerial net gunning and chemical immobilisation administered via hand injection to capture and fit GPS collars to sambar deer and red deer in alpine Australia. Limited mortalities were recorded during capture, and no mortalities were recorded for 45 days post-capture. This study describes an effective method for the safe capture of sambar deer and red deer, which will assist future wildlife researchers to further refine helicopter-based capture protocols and to collect information on the spatial ecology of these species. Photograph by Rob Hunt.

Invasive mammalian predators are a global threat to biodiversity, yet evaluating and monitoring management outcomes remains challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of lethal poison baiting on two red fox populations in semi-arid Victoria using activity and density metrics. We found little evidence that baiting reduced fox activity or density, and fox survival was high. We provide the first fox density estimates for the region and suggest that multiple lines of evidence be used to confirm the rigour of index-based metrics. Photograph by Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group.

Invasive non-native species are on the rise worldwide, exacerbating wildlife’s already significant environmental and economic impacts. On the basis of the eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in the UK, we have demonstrated that there is an important balance between the efficacy of different population management approaches and the willingness of landowners to apply them. Recommendations on management strategies must understand and account for this human dimension. Photograph: Plight of the Red Squirrel – APHA Science Blog (©APHA).

This article belongs to the Collection Fertility Control for Wildlife in the 21st Century.

A comprehensive understanding of movements and space use can underpin the effective management of threatened species, yet this understanding is lacking for many at-risk species. This study aims to describe the movement and ranging behaviour of a nationally threatened, ground-dwelling native Australian mammal, the long-nosed potoroo, using GPS dataloggers for the first time. We found home ranges were larger than expected and make recommendations for how this information may be incorporated into the management of potoroos, particularly in relation to a key threatening process facing this species – inappropriate fire regimes. Photograph by Mark Le Pla.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading causes of biodiversity decline, yet the influence on Australian semi-arid reptiles is poorly known. The aim of this study was to investigate factors influencing the distribution and occurrence of habitat specialist and generalist reptile species in an agricultural landscape subject to habitat loss and fragmentation. Specialists were most sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation and were less likely to persist in small patches of remnant vegetation within the agricultural matrix. Retaining representative parcels of land within agricultural landscapes and setting aside in-perpetuity conservation reserves on private property are required to protect reptile communities in semi-arid, production environments. Photograph by Lucy Wright.

Culling overbundant native wildlife is unpopular, so managers often turn to fertility control as a more appealing alternative. We assessed contraceptive implants in kangaroos and found that they effectively stopped breeding, but it was challenging to implant enough kangaroos so that abundance was reduced. Understanding these practical constraints on fertility control will assist future management programs. Photograph by Graeme Coulson.

This article belongs to the Collection Fertility Control for Wildlife in the 21st Century.

Flatback turtles nest only in Australia, with rookeries being distributed on island and mainland beaches across northern Australia. Their mainland rookeries are exposed to substantial levels of introduced and native predators. Using a combination of daily in-person monitoring and an array of camera traps, we recorded that a quarter of nests were dug into, with up to five re-entries into an individual nest witnessed. The main nest depredator was the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), an introduced species to Australia. Photograph by Joanne King, DBCA.

Livestock guardian dogs can be an effective predation control method. In this study we used a follow-up survey to investigate long-term LGD use and found that over a period of approximately 10 years, effectiveness of LGDs remained high, and that use of LGDs is spreading. We make recommendations on how the use of LGDs can be better supported in Australia. Photograph by Linda van Bommel.

Measuring habitat quality for threatened species is a priority in conservation management, but traditional metrics can be costly. As a result, proxies like habitat suitability are used, despite limited research on their relation to actual habitat quality measures like body condition. We demonstrate the utility of habitat suitability models in predicting mean population fitness of northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), an endangered marsupial predator. Photograph by Harry Moore.

Natural markers have the potential to replace artificial markers in capture–mark-recapture (CMR) for monitoring reptile populations. This study tested whether citizen scientists could use dorsal patterns to manually identify Monaro grassland earless dragon individuals and showed that identification of recapture events was successful using this technique. Our findings suggest that photo-CMR using dorsal pattern as a visual marker could be applied to other agamids with similar patterns. Photography by George Madani.

This study aimed to quantify the roaming behaviour of village dogs adjacent to a wildlife sanctuary, and showed that males typically had larger activity ranges than females and that foray behaviour was variable. We found that although dogs spend the majority of their time within the village, there is a significant risk to wildlife, with dogs regularly entering the wildlife sanctuary. Photograph by Rachel Ladd.

Fences are commonly used to manage amphibian populations within the landscape, but issues with fence design, installation, and maintenance are infrequently explored in the literature. This review highlights potential issues with amphibian fences, along with solutions and recommendations based on first-hand accounts and the literature, to prevent animal trespass and ensure animal safety. We offer wildlife managers a guide to assist in projects that require the construction of amphibian fences for both temporary and long-term use. Photograph by John Gould.

The Tasmanian devil population is at risk because of a cancer that can transmit between devils via biting, resulting in facial tumours. The Save the Tasmanian Devil program was established in 2003 to address this extinction threat, and its role includes monitoring wild devil populations. In this study, we implemented an artificial intelligence algorithm to assist in monitoring devils with cameras so that devils with facial tumours can be automatically detected on sight. Photograph by The Save the Tasmanian Devil Program..

This study aimed to assess invasive black rat impacts on Christmas Island avifauna and showed that black rat abundance was unrelated to bird abundance, while rats only weakly influenced nest outcomes for one seabird species. This study suggests that rat control is not currently a management priority, but ongoing monitoring of rat density, activity, and impacts are needed to ensure management can respond promptly if rat density or impacts change as cat control progresses towards eradication. Photograph by R. Willacy.

The Sentinel Bait Station, an automated, intelligent design vertebrate pest bait dispenser that detects target animals before distributing baits, provides another tool to support aerial and ground baiting programs to reduce vertebrate pest populations. It is able to distinguish target species from non-target species and provide baits to successive targets from on-board storage, thereby overcoming the need for daily bait replacement. Image by Sentinel Bait Station Camera.

The grey squirrel is an invasive species in the UK, causing damage to forestry and the decline of the native red squirrel. This study demonstrated that it is possible to deliver baits to the majority of grey squirrels in woodland environments. The same methods could be used to employ oral contraceptives to reduce grey squirrel numbers in the future. Photograph by APHA.

This article belongs to the Collection Fertility Control for Wildlife in the 21st Century.

Asian black-spined toads (ABSTs; Duttaphrynus melanostictus) pose a biosecurity threat to Australia, and cane toads (Rhinella marina) may provide a suitable comparison for determining likely ABST range and impacts. We compare life history, climatic niche overlap and potential habitat for the two species. We identify parallels suggesting the species may have similar impacts, and highlight knowledge gaps, to assist responses to ABST incursions. Drawings by Catherine Kelly.

There is limited understanding of historical distributions of many threatened species, particularly where population declines were rapid, there are few specimens, and the species is cryptic and/or nocturnal. We collated, geo-referenced and assessed >250 records of greater bilby occurrence in eastern Australia, building a detailed picture of its former extent, habitat occupancy, and spatial and temporal patterns of decline. This understanding will inform future survey effort as well as improve management of surviving and translocated populations. Photograph by Peter McRae.

Fungi are vital to nutrient uptake in forests, but long distance spore dispersal is difficult for some species (particularly truffles). Our study investigates how dingoes act as secondary dispersers of these ecologically important fungi when they predate on smaller fungus-feeding mammals. We show that dingoes carry spores thousands of metres in their scats, and we discuss the importance of this predator-facilitated ecosystem service. Photograph by Todd F. Elliott.

Traditional population-monitoring techniques such as live capture or spotlighting are often inadequate for rare, elusive, or cryptic species due to the difficulty in achieving sufficient encounters or detection rates. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of non-invasive scat DNA sampling to estimate the abundance of the elusive mala, and showed that individual genetic identification from scat sampling, when used with traditional mark–recapture and mark–resight estimator models, provides feasible estimates of population abundance. The methodologies used in this study will be valuable for monitoring other threatened species. Photograph by Mitchell Wright.

The introduced European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) digs warrens across much of Australia. Using camera traps on warrens and adjacent vegetation, we show that of 36 vertebrate species detected, only four prefer warrens, three of them invasive alien species. We discuss the importance of warrens as underground refuge in the semi-arid zone of Australia and the implications of their removal. Photograph by Abbey Dean.