Efficacy of lethal-trap devices to improve the welfare of trapped wild dogs
Paul D. Meek
A B F G , Stuart C. Brown C , Jason Wishart D , Heath Milne B , Paul Aylett E , Simon Humphrys F , Guy Ballard A B F and Peter Fleming A B F
A NSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit, Forest Road, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.
B School of Environmental and Rural Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
C School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
D Animal Control Technologies Pty Ltd, 46-50 Freight Drive, Somerton, Vic. 3062, Australia.
E Connovation Ltd 36B Sir William Avenue, East Tamaki, Manukau, New Zealand.
F Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, Building 22, University of Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia.
G Corresponding author. Email: paul.meek@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Wildlife Research 46(1) 89-95 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR18129
Submitted: 15 August 2018 Accepted: 26 November 2018 Published: 23 January 2019
Abstract
Context: Wildlife and pest managers and stakeholders should constantly aim to improve animal-welfare outcomes when foot-hold trapping pest animals. To minimise stress and trauma to trapped animals, traps should be checked at least once every 24 h, normally as soon after sunrise as possible. If distance, time, environmental or geographical constraints prevent this, toxins such as strychnine can be fitted to trap jaws to induce euthanasia. However, strychnine is considered to have undesirable animal-welfare outcomes because animals are conscious while clinical signs of intoxication are present. A toxin considered more humane, para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP), is available to induce euthanasia in trapped animals but is untested for presentation and efficacy.
Aim: We tested the efficacy of two types of lethal trap device (LTD’s), each using a paste formulation of PAPP as the active toxin to replace the use of strychnine on foot-hold jaw traps.
Methods: Elastomer LTDs and PAPP-cloths were fitted to jaw traps set to capture wild dogs (Canis familiaris). Camera-trap data was used to record animal behaviours after capture and to determine the efficacy of both modalities.
Key results: Every trapped wild dog (n = 117) gnawed at the elastomer LTD’s or PAPP-cloth attached to the trap jaws that restrained them; one dog failed to liberate the toxin. From the dogs caught in the main trial (n = 56), a mortality rate of 84% and 87% was reported respectively. The mean time from trap-to-death for elastomer LTDs was 64 min and 68 min for PAPP-cloths.
Conclusions: Elastomer LTDs and PAPP cloths combined caused the mortality of 85% of captured dogs. This efficacy could be improved by adopting the recommendations discussed in the present study for deploying PAPP-based LTDs during trap deployment.
Implications: PAPP-based LTDs offer an alternative option to the use of strychnine and improve the welfare outcomes for trapped predators, especially where traps are not checked within the recommended 24-h period.
Additional keywords: canids, trapping, pest management, control, humaneness, predator, LTD.
References
Anderson, M. J. (2001). A new method for non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance. Austral Ecology 26, 32–46.APVMA (2015). ‘Public Release Summary on the Evaluation of the New Active 4-aminopropiophenone (Also Known as Para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP) in the Products Foxecute Fox Bait & PAPP Wild Dog Bait.’ (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority: Canberra.)
Balser, D. S. (1965). Tranquilizer Tabs for Capturing Wild Carnivores. The Journal of Wildlife Management 29, 438–442.
Dall, D. (2006). Dose determination of p-amino-propriophnone in solid formulation: foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Project EC470. Unpublished report. (Pestat Ltd: Canberra, Australia.)
Dall, D., and Spencer, R. (2006). The efficacy of bait-delivered formulated PAPP capsules for wild dogs. Project 051103. Unpublished report. (Pestat Ltd: Canberra, Australia.)
Eason, C. T., Fagerstone, K. A., Eisemann, J. D., Humphrys, S., O’Hare, J. R., and Lapidge, S. J. (2010). A review of existing and potential New World and Australasian vertebrate pesticides with a rationale for linking use patterns to registration requirements. International Journal of Pest Management 56, 109–125.
| A review of existing and potential New World and Australasian vertebrate pesticides with a rationale for linking use patterns to registration requirements.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Fagerstone, K. A., and Keirn, G. (2012). Wildlife services: a leader in developing tools and techniques for managing carnivores [Paper 1133]. In ‘USDA National Wildlife Research Center – Staff Publications’. pp. 44–55.
Fleming, P., Corbett, L., Harden, R., and Thomson, P. (2001). ‘Managing the Impact of Dingoes and Other Wild Dogs.’ (Bureau of Rural Sciences: Canberra.)
Fleming, P. J. S., Allen, L. R., Berghout, M. J., Meek, P. D., Pavlov, P. M., Stevens, P., Strong, K., Thompson, J. A., and Thomson, P. C. (1998). The performance of wild-canid traps in Australia: efficiency, selectivity and trap-related injuries. Wildlife Research 25, 327–338.
Lapidge, S. J., Humphrys, S., and Dall, D. (2007). Global harmonisation in the field of invasive species management product development. In ‘Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species. Proceedings of an International Symposium’. (Eds G. W. Witmer, W. C. Pitt and K. A. Fagerstone.) pp. 34–42. (USDA/APHIS/WS, National Wildlife Research Centre: Fort Collins, CO.)
Lide, D. R., and Milne, G. W. A. (Eds) (1994). ‘Handbook of Data on Organic Compounds. Vol. I.’ 3rd edn. p. 4467. (CRC Press, Inc.: Boca Raton, FL.)
Linhart, S. B., Dasch, G. J., and Turkowski, F. J. (1981). The steel leg-hold trap: techniques for reducing foot injury and increasing selectivity. In ‘Proceedings of the Worldwide Furbearer Conference’. (Eds J. A. Chapman and D. Pursley.) pp. 1560–1578. (University of Maryland: Frostburg, MD, USA.)
Marks, C. A., Allen, L., Gigliotti, F., Busana, F., Gonzalez, T., Lindeman, M., and Fisher, P. M. (2004a). Evaluation of the tranquilliser trap device (TTD) for improving the humaneness of dingo trapping. Animal Welfare (South Mimms, England) 13, 393–399.
Marks, C. A., Gigliotti, F., Busana, F., Johnston, M., and Lindeman, M. (2004b). Fox control using a para-aminopropiophenone formulation with the M-44 ejector. Animal Welfare (South Mimms, England) 13, 401–407.
McLeod, L., Saunders, G. (2013). ‘Pesticides used in the Management of Vertebrate Pests in Australia: A Review.’ (NSW Dept of Primary Industries: Orange, Australia.)
Meek, P. D., and Brown, S. C. (2017). It’s a dog eat dog world: observations of dingo (Canis familiaris) cannibalism. Australian Mammalogy 39, 92–94.
| It’s a dog eat dog world: observations of dingo (Canis familiaris) cannibalism.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Meek, P. D., Jenkins, D. J., Morris, B., Ardler, A. J., and Hawksby, R. J. (1995). Use of two humane leg-hold traps for catching pest species. Wildlife Research 22, 733–739.
| Use of two humane leg-hold traps for catching pest species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Meek, P. D., Ballard, G.-A., Claridge, A., Kays, R., Moseby, K., O’Brien, T., O’Connell, A., Sanderson, J., Swann, D. E., Tobler, M., and Townsend, S. (2014). Recommended guiding principles for reporting on camera trapping research. Biodiversity and Conservation 23, 2321–2343.
| Recommended guiding principles for reporting on camera trapping research.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Meek, P. D., Ballard, G.-A., and Fleming, P. J. S. (2015). The pitfalls of wildlife camera trapping as a survey tool in Australia. Australian Mammalogy 37, 13–22.
| The pitfalls of wildlife camera trapping as a survey tool in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Meek, P. D., Shorter, K., and Falzon, G. (2018). Do lethal trap devices threaten foot-hold trap capture efficacy? International Journal of Pest Management , .
| Do lethal trap devices threaten foot-hold trap capture efficacy?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Nocturnal Wildlife Solutions (2006). New canid toxicant: PAPP non-target hazard assessment data summary and interpretation. Progress report 4: EC470. Unpublished report. (Nocturnal Wildlife Research Pty Ltd: Victoria, Australia.)
Sahr, D. P. (1997). Merits of using tranquiliser trap devices on leg-hold traps used to capture gray wolves (Canis lupus). Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, Utah State University, Logan, UT.
Sahr, D. P., and Knowlton, F. F. (2000). Evaluation of tranquilizer trap devices (TTDs) for foothold traps used to capture gray wolves. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28, 597–605.
Sharp, T., and Saunders, G. (2008). ‘A Model for Assessing the Relative Humaneness of Pest Animal Control Methods.’ (NSW Dept Primary Industries: Orange, NSW.)
Vandenbelt, J. M., Pfeiffer, C., Kaiser, M., and Sibert, M. (1944). Methemoglobinemia after administration of p-aminoacetophenone and p-aminopropriophenone. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 80, 31.
Yalkowsky, S. H., He, Y. (2003). ‘Handbook of Aqueous Solubility Data: an Extensive Compilation of Aqueous Solubility Data for Organic Compounds Extracted from the AQUASOL dATAbASE.’ (CRC Press LLC: Boca Raton, FL.)
Zemlicka, D. E., and Bruce, K. J. (1991). Comparison of handmade and moulded rubber tranquilizer tabs for delivering tranquilizing materials to coyotes captured in leg-hold traps. In ‘Proceedings 10th Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop’. (Eds S. E. Hyngstrom, R. M. Case, and R. J. Johnson.) pp. 52–56. (Great Plains Agricultural Council: Lincoln, NE, USA.)
