
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Moss, Zane N. 
A1  - O'Connor, Cheryl E. 
A1  - Hickling, Graham J. 
T1  - Implications of prefeeding for the development of bait aversions in brushtail possums (<emph type="2">Trichosurus vulpecula</emph>)
JF  - Wildlife Research
JO  - Wildl. Res.
Y1  - 1998
VL  - 25
IS  - 2
SP  - 133
EP  - 138
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/WR97018 
N2  - Development of aversions, or learned &#8216;bait-shyness&#8217;, in frequently poisoned possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) populations is becoming increasingly detrimental to the efficacy of pest-control operations in New Zealand. This experiment aimed to identify the effects of prefeeding, a common management procedure, on the subsequent development of aversions in possums. Wild possums (n = 96) were captured and acclimatised, then allocated to one of three treatments groups that for seven days received either (i) no prefeed, (ii) plain RS5 cereal baits, or (iii) green-dyed and cinnamon-lured RS5 cereal baits. The possums were then offered a standard green-dyed and cinnamon-lured RS5 bait that contained a sublethal dose (0.4 mg kg-1) of the toxin sodium monofluoroacetate (1080). The possums were tested for development of an aversion towards a toxic RS5 1080 bait, a prefeed bait, and a prefeed bait containing an alternative toxin, brodifacoum. Most (96%) of the non-prefed possums became averse to the 1080 bait after two exposures, compared with only 55% and 9% of the two prefed groups. Similarly, 90% and 92% of the non-prefed possums were averse to prefeed and brodifacoum baits, respectively, compared with 8% and 14% of the prefed possums. This suggests that pest managers can reduce the risk of &#8216;bait shyness&#8217; by prefeeding. A further advantage of prefeeding is that if poison shyness develops, use of an alternative toxin such as brodifacoum in the original bait base may still be successful. 
ER  -

