Bait uptake by feral cats on French Island, Victoria.

Abstract

Management of feral cat (Felis catus) populations is currently limited by the lack of a control technique that is cost-effective, target-specific and suitable for broad-scale application. This paper describes two non-toxic bait acceptance trials undertaken on French Island in Western Port, Victoria in south?eastern Australia. Moist meat baits were injected with the marker Rhodamine B (RB), and surface distributed along the existing road and firebreak network. Subsequent trapping of feral cats facilitated collection of whiskers, which were analysed using ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy for the presence of RB marking. Twenty-four and forty-seven cats respectively were recovered in each trial with fifty per cent of these individuals found to have consumed at least one bait in either trial. Results are discussed with reference to the development of a felid-specific toxicant baiting technique.