An evaluation of two methods of assessing feral cat and dingo abundance in central Australia

Abstract

We evaluated the efficacy of spotlight surveys and passive track surveys conducted along roads for assessing the relative abundance of feral cats and dingoes in a semi-arid rangeland environment in central Australia. Track surveys were more time-efficient than spotlight surveys and offered higher precision. We cover a range of issues that need to be considered when using track-based surveys to assess population change. We also discuss the merits of other techniques used to monitor the abundance of mammalian carnivores.