Effectiveness of the Felixer grooming trap for the control of feral cats: a field trial in arid South Australia
K. E. Moseby
A B F , H. McGregor B C and J. L. Read D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, High Street, Kensington Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
B Arid Recovery, PO Box 147, Roxby Downs, SA 5725, Australia.
C School of Biological Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.
D School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
E Ecological Horizons Pty Ltd, PO Box 207, Kimba, SA 5641, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: k.moseby@unsw.edu.au
Wildlife Research 47(8) 599-609 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR19132
Submitted: 5 August 2019 Accepted: 10 January 2020 Published: 28 May 2020
Abstract
Context: Feral cats pose a significant threat to wildlife in Australia and internationally. Controlling feral cats can be problematic because of their tendency to hunt live prey rather than be attracted to food-based lures. The Felixer grooming trap was developed as a targeted and automated poisoning device that sprays poison onto the fur of a passing cat, relying on compulsive grooming for ingestion.
Aims: We conducted a field trial to test the effectiveness of Felixers in the control of feral cats in northern South Australia where feral cats were present within a 2600-ha predator-proof fenced paddock.
Methods: Twenty Felixers were set to fire across vehicle tracks and dune crossings for 6 weeks. Cat activity was recorded using track counts and grids of remote camera traps set within the Felixer Paddock and an adjacent 3700-ha Control Paddock where feral cats were not controlled. Radio-collars were placed on six cats and spatial mark–resight models were used to estimate population density before and after Felixer deployment.
Key results: None of the 1024 non-target objects (bettongs, bilbies, birds, lizards, humans, vehicles) that passed a Felixer during the trial was fired on, confirming high target specificity. Thirty-three Felixer firings were recorded over the 6-week trial, all being triggered by feral cats. The only two radio-collared cats that triggered Felixers during the trial, died. Two other radio-collared cats appeared to avoid Felixer traps possibly as a reaction to previous catching and handling rendering them neophobic. None of the 22 individually distinguishable cats targeted by Felixers was subsequently observed on cameras, suggesting death after firing. Felixer data, activity and density estimates consistently indicated that nearly two-thirds of the cat population was killed by the Felixers during the 6-week trial.
Conclusions: Results suggest that Felixers are an effective, target-specific method of controlling feral cats, at least in areas in which immigration is prevented. The firing rate of Felixers did not decline significantly over time, suggesting that a longer trial would have resulted in a higher number of kills.
Implications: Future studies should aim to determine the trade-off between Felixer density and the efficacy relative to reinvasion.
Additional keywords: conservation management, introduced species, invasive species, pest control, threatened species.
References
Algar, D., Angus, G. J., Williams, M. R., and Mellican, A. E. (2007). Influence of bait type, weather and prey abundance on bait uptake by feral cats (Felis catus) on Peron Peninsula, Western Australia. Conservation Science Western Australia 6, 109–149.Algar, D., Onus, M., and Hamilton, N. (2013). Feral cat control as part of rangelands restoration at Lorna Glen (Matuwa), Western Australia: the first seven years. Conservation Science Western Australia 8, 367–381.
Bengsen, A. J., Algar, D., Ballard, G., Buckmaster, T., Comer, S., Fleming, P. J. S., Moseby, K. E., and Zewe, F. (2016). Feral cat home-range size varies predictably with landscape productivity and population density. Journal of Zoology 298, 112–120.
| Feral cat home-range size varies predictably with landscape productivity and population density.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Borchers, D. L., and Efford, M. G. (2008). Spatially explicit maximum likelihood methods for capture–recapture studies. Biometrics 64, 377–385.
| Spatially explicit maximum likelihood methods for capture–recapture studies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17970815PubMed |
Burnham, K. P., and Anderson, D. R. (1998). ‘Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach.’ 2nd edn. (Springer Science & Business Media, Inc.: Berlin, Germany).
Burns, B., Innes, J., and Day, T. D. (2011). The use and potential of pest-proof fencing for ecosystem restoration and fauna reintroduction in New Zealand. In ‘Fencing for Conservation’. (Eds M. J. Somers, and M. W. Hayward.) pp. 65–90. (Springer-US: New York, NY, USA.)
Christensen, P. E., Ward, B. G., and Sims, C. (2012). Predicting bait uptake by feral cats, Felis catus, in semi-arid environments. Ecological Management & Restoration 14, 1–7.
Commonwealth of Australia (2015). ‘Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats.’ (Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra, ACT, Australia.)
Dundas, S. J., Adams, P. J., and Fleming, P. A. (2014). First in, first served: uptake of 1080 poison fox baits in south-west Western Australia. Wildlife Research 41, 117–126.
Edwards, G. P., De Preu, N. D., Shakeshaft, B. J., Crealy, I. V., and Paltridge, R. M. (2001). Home range and movements of male feral cats (Felis catus) in a semiarid woodland environment in central Australia. Austral Ecology 26, 93–101.
Efford, M. G. (2017). Secrdesign: Sampling Design for Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture. R Package Version 2.5.4. Available at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=secrdesign [verified 7 April 2020].
Efford, M. G., and Fewster, R. M. (2013). Estimating population size by spatially explicit capture–recapture. Oikos 122, 918–928.
| Estimating population size by spatially explicit capture–recapture.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Efford, M. G., Borchers, D. L., and Byrom, A. E. (2009). Density estimation by spatially explicit capture–recapture: likelihood-based methods. In ‘Modelling Demographic Processes in Marked Populations’. (Eds D. L. Thomson, E. G. Cooch, and M. J. Conroy) pp. 255–269. (Springer: Boston, MA, USA.)
Fischer, J., and Lindenmayer, D. B. (2000). An assessment of the published results of animal relocations. Biological Conservation 96, 1–11.
| An assessment of the published results of animal relocations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Fisher, P., Algar, D., Murphy, E., Johnston, M., and Eason, C. (2015). How does cat behaviour influence the development and implementation of monitoring techniques and lethal control methods for feral cats? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 173, 88–96.
| How does cat behaviour influence the development and implementation of monitoring techniques and lethal control methods for feral cats?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Fiske, I., and Chandler, R. (2011). Unmarked: an R package for fitting hierarchical models of wildlife occurrence and abundance. Journal of Statistical Software 43, 1–23.
| Unmarked: an R package for fitting hierarchical models of wildlife occurrence and abundance.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Glen, A. S., Gentle, M. N., and Dickman, C. R. (2007). Non-target impacts of poison baiting for predator control in Australia. Mammal Review 37, 191–205.
| Non-target impacts of poison baiting for predator control in Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Legge, S., Murphy, B. P., McGregor, H., Woinarski, J. C. Z., Augusteyn, J., Ballanrd, G., Baseler, M., Buckmaster, T., Dickman, C. R., Doherty, T., Edwards, G., Eyre, T., Fancourt, B. A., Ferguson, D., Forsyth, D. M., Geary, W. L., Gentle, M., Gillespie, G., Greenwood, L., Hohnen, R., Hume, S., Johnson, C. N., Maxwell, M., McDonald, P. J., Morris, K., Moseby, K., Newsome, T., Nimmo, D., Paltridge, R., Ramsey, D., Read, J., Rendall, A., Rich, M., Ritchie, E., Rowland, J., Short, J., Stokeld, D., Sutherland, D. R., Wayne, A. F., Wooldford, L., and Zewe, F. (2017). Enumerating a continental-scale threat: how many feral cats are in Australia? Biological Conservation 206, 293–303.
| Enumerating a continental-scale threat: how many feral cats are in Australia?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Legge, S., Woinarski, J., Burbidge, A., Palmer, R., Ringma, J., Radford, J., Mitchell, N., Bode, M., Wintle, B., Baseler, M., Bentley, J., Copley, P., Dexter, N., Dickman, C., Gillespie, G., Hill, B., Johnson, C., Latch, P., Letnic, M., Manning, A., McCreless, E., Menkhorst, P., Morris, K., Moseby, K., Page, M., Pannell, D., and Tuft, K. (2018). Havens for threatened Australian mammals: the contributions of fenced areas and offshore islands to protecting mammal species that are susceptible to introduced predators. Wildlife Research 45, 627–644.
| Havens for threatened Australian mammals: the contributions of fenced areas and offshore islands to protecting mammal species that are susceptible to introduced predators.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Loss, S. R., Will, T., and Marra, P. (2013). The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States. Nature Communications 4, 1396.
| The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 23360987PubMed |
McGregor, H. W., Legge, S., Potts, J., Jones, M. H., and Johnson, C. N. (2015). Density and home range of feral cats in north-western Australia. Wildlife Research 42, 223–231.
| Density and home range of feral cats in north-western Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Medina, F. M., Bonnaud, E., Vidal, E., Tershy, B. R., Zavaleta, E. S., Josh Donlan, C., Keitt, B. S., Le Corre, M., Horwath, S. V., and Nogales, M. (2011). A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates. Global Change Biology 17, 3503–3510.
| A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Meek, P. D., Ballard, A. G., and Fleming, P. J. S. (2012). ‘An Introduction to Camera Trapping for Wildlife Surveys in Australia.’ (Invasive Animals CRC: Canberra, ACT, Australia.)
Moseby, K. E., and Hill, B. M. (2011). The use of poison baits to control feral cats and red foxes in arid South Australia 1. Aerial baiting trials. Wildlife Research 38, 338–349.
| The use of poison baits to control feral cats and red foxes in arid South Australia 1. Aerial baiting trials.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moseby, K. E., and Read, J. L. (2006). The efficacy of feral cat, fox and rabbit exclusion fence designs for threatened species protection. Biological Conservation 127, 429–437.
| The efficacy of feral cat, fox and rabbit exclusion fence designs for threatened species protection.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moseby, K. E., Selfe, R., and Freeman, A. (2004). Attraction of auditory and olfactory lures to feral cats, red foxes, European rabbits and burrowing bettongs. Ecological Management & Restoration 5, 228–231.
| Attraction of auditory and olfactory lures to feral cats, red foxes, European rabbits and burrowing bettongs.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moseby, K. E., Stott, J., and Crisp, H. (2009). Improving the effectiveness of poison baiting for the feral cat and European fox in northern South Australia: the influence of movement, habitat use and activity. Wildlife Research 36, 1–14.
Moseby, K. E., Read, J. L., Paton, D. C., Copley, P., Hill, B. M., and Crisp, H. M. (2011a). Predation determines the outcome of 11 reintroduction attempts in arid Australia. Biological Conservation 144, 2863–2872.
| Predation determines the outcome of 11 reintroduction attempts in arid Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moseby, K. E., Read, J. L., Galbraith, B., Munro, N., Newport, J., and Hill, B. M. (2011b). The use of poison baits to control feral cats and red foxes in arid South Australia II. Bait type, placement, lures and non-target uptake. Wildlife Research 38, 350–358.
| The use of poison baits to control feral cats and red foxes in arid South Australia II. Bait type, placement, lures and non-target uptake.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Moseby, K. E., Letnic, M., Blumstein, D., and West, R. (2018). Understanding predator densities for successful coexistence of introduced predators and native prey. Austral Ecology 44, 409–419.
| Understanding predator densities for successful coexistence of introduced predators and native prey.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Nogales, M., Vidal, E., Medina, F. M., Bonnaud, E., Tershy, B. R., Campbell, K. J., and Zavaleta, E. S. (2013). Feral cats and biodiversity conservation: the urgent prioritization of island management. Bioscience 63, 804–810.
Oppel, S., Burns, F., Vickery, J., George, K., Ellick, G., Leo, D., and Hillman, J. C. (2014). Habitat-specific effectiveness of feral cat control for the conservation of an endemic ground-nesting bird species. Journal of Applied Ecology 51, 1246–1254.
| Habitat-specific effectiveness of feral cat control for the conservation of an endemic ground-nesting bird species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pinheiro, J., Bates, D., DebRoy, S., Sarkar, D., R Core Team (2019). ‘nlme: Linear and Nonlinear Mixed Effects Models. R Package Version 3.1-140.’ Available at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=nlme [verified 13 February 2020].
Read, J. L., Gigliotti, F., Darby, S., and Lapidge, S. (2014). Dying to be clean: pen trials of novel cat and fox control devices. International Journal of Pest Management 60, 166–172.
| Dying to be clean: pen trials of novel cat and fox control devices.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Read, J. L., Peacock, D., Wayne, A. F., and Moseby, K. E. (2015a). Toxic trojans: can feral cat predation be mitigated by making their prey poisonous? Wildlife Research 42, 689–696.
| Toxic trojans: can feral cat predation be mitigated by making their prey poisonous?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Read, J. L., Bengsen, A. J., Meek, P. D., and Moseby, K. E. (2015b). How to snap your cat: optimum lures and their placement for attracting mammalian predators in arid. Australian Wildlife Research 42, 1–12.
| How to snap your cat: optimum lures and their placement for attracting mammalian predators in arid.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Read, J. L., Bowden, T., Hodgens, P., Hess, M., McGregor, H., and Moseby, K. (2019). Target specificity of Felixer grooming ‘traps’. Wildlife Society Bulletin 43, 112–120.
| Target specificity of Felixer grooming ‘traps’.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shier, D. M., and Owings, D. H. (2006). Effects of predator training on behavior and post-release survival of captive prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Biological Conservation 132, 126–135.
| Effects of predator training on behavior and post-release survival of captive prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Short, J., Bradshaw, S. D., Giles, J., Prince, R. I. T., and Wilson, G. R. (1992). Reintroduction of macropods (Marsupialia: Macropodoidae) in Australia—a review. Biological Conservation 62, 189–204.
Short, J., Turner, B., and Risbey, D. (2002). Control of feral cats for nature conservation. III. Trapping. Wildlife Research 29, 475–487.
| Control of feral cats for nature conservation. III. Trapping.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Suárez-Tangil, B. D., and Rodríguez, A. (2017). Detection of Iberian terrestrial mammals employing olfactory, visual and auditory attractants. European Journal of Wildlife Research 63, 93.
| Detection of Iberian terrestrial mammals employing olfactory, visual and auditory attractants.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Surtees, C., Calver, M., and Mawson, P. R. (2019). Measuring the welfare impact of soft-catch leg-hold trapping for feral cats on non-target by-catch. Animals (Basel) 9, 217.
| Measuring the welfare impact of soft-catch leg-hold trapping for feral cats on non-target by-catch.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Woinarski, J. C. Z., Burbidge, A. A., and Harrison, P. L. (2012). ‘The Action Plan for Australian Mammals.’ (CSIRO: Canberra, ACT, Australia.)
