Evaluation of the Efficacy of 1080 Poisoning of Red Foxes Using Visitation to Non-Toxic Baits as an Index of Fox Abundance.

Abstract

Visits of foxes to non-toxic baits were used to derive fox abundance indices at 4 sites in north-eastern New South Wales. A 1080 (sodium fluoracetate) poisoning campaign resulted in a mean population reduction of 69.5% (s.d. = 4.9). Fox densities before baiting, calculated using the index-removal-index method, ranged from 4.55 to 7.16 foxes km-2. Visitation to non-toxic baits is recommended as a reliable estimate of relative density. This study investigated the efficacy of 1080 baiting as a technique for the control of foxes in tableland environments. The implications of the estimated fox densities and population reductions on fox control in agricultural areas and in the context of rabies are discussed.