ContextFeral cats (Felis catus) are known predators of northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus). Management to suppress feral cat densities often uses the poison sodium monofluoroacetate (compound 1080) in baits broadcast aerially. Eradicat® baits have demonstrated efficacy at reducing feral cat densities in some environments. However, these are not registered for use in northern Australia because their risk to non-target northern quolls remains unknown. AimsWe investigated the risks of aerially deployed feral cat Eradicat® baits containing 4.5mg of the poison 1080 on the survival of free-ranging northern quolls. MethodsThe study was conducted over a 20000-ha area in the Pilbara bioregion in Western Australia. Twenty-one wild northern quolls from a baited area and 20 quolls from a nearby reference area were fitted with radio-collars, and their survivorship was compared following the aerial deployment of over 9700 feral cat baits. Survivorship of quolls was assessed before and after the baiting campaign. Key resultsFive radio-collared quolls died at the baited area; four mortalities were due to feral cat predation, and the cause of one death was uncertain. At the reference area, seven radio-collared quolls were confirmed dead; three mortalities were due to feral cat predation, two from wild dog predation, and the cause of death of two could not be determined. Evidence for sublethal poison impacts on quolls, inferred by monitoring reproductive output, was lacking; average litter size was higher in quolls from the baited area than in those from the unbaited area, and within range of litters reported elsewhere, suggesting that acute effects of 1080 (if ingested) on reproductive success were unlikely. ConclusionsRadio-collared northern quolls survived the trial using Eradicat® baits, and females showed no acute effects of sublethal poisoning on the basis of reproductive output. A lack of quoll deaths attributed to 1080 poisoning suggests that the use of Eradicat® poses a low risk to northern quolls in the Pilbara. Importantly, the high level of mortalities associated with predation by feral cats, and to a lesser extent, canids, validates the threats of these introduced predators on quolls, suggesting that their control in areas where quolls are present is likely to be beneficial for the recovery of this species. ImplicationsLand managers aiming to conserve northern quolls in the Pilbara would see conservation benefits if they introduced an operational landscape-scale feral cat baiting program using Eradicat® baits, with appropriate monitoring.

Because animals killed by predators are often found partially consumed or decomposed, identification of the predator is often unachievable by post mortem examination. Forensic DNA offers an alternative in such situations. Using a novel method to analyse DNA from bite wounds on a freshly-killed chuditch Dasyurus geoffroii, we describe the first confirmed instance in this species of intraguild killing by a feral cat. Unlike post mortem examination, our method of DNA melt curve analysis is highly accurate and requires less time and expense than DNA sequencing.

Context The CURIOSITY® bait is the name coined for a variation of the existing sausage-style cat bait, ERADICAT®. The latter is used under experimental permit in Western Australia for research associated with cat control. The CURIOSITY bait differs from ERADICAT by providing a pH-buffered (less acidic) medium and has been proposed to reduce the risk to non-target species by encapsulating a toxin in a pellet. We trialled a prototype pellet proposed for encapsulation of 1080 and/or alternative toxins, with delivery proposed through the CURIOSITY bait. Aim Our aim was to determine whether the pellet was consumed by non-target native species from south-west of Western Australia. Methods Trials involved use of a non-toxic biomarker, Rhodamine B, encapsulated within the pellet and inserted into the CURIOSITY® bait. Uptake of the encapsulated biomarker was assessed in captive trials for the target species, the feral cat (Felis catus) and two non-target species of varanid lizard, Rosenberg’s goanna (Varanus rosenbergi) and Gould’s goanna (V. gouldii) and the non-target mammal species chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii) and southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus). Uptake of the encapsulated biomarker was also assessed in field trials for a range of native species. Key results Captive trials demonstrated feral cats will consume the CURIOSITY bait and pellet. However, results from captive and field trials indicated several non-target species also consumed the bait and pellet. We also found the pellet itself was not sufficiently robust for use in a bait. As with previously reported studies, we found Rhodamine B to be an effective biomarker for use in cats. We also developed a technique whereby Rhodamine B can be used as a biomarker in reptiles. However, its use as a biomarker in other mammalian species was confounded by what appeared to be background, or pre-existing, levels of fluorescence, or banding, in their whiskers. Conclusion The prototype pellet is unsuitable in its current form for use with the CURIOSITY bait. We caution that the CURIOSITY bait has non-target issues in south-west of Western Australia and any proposed variations to this bait, or the ERADICAT® bait, need to be rigorously assessed for their potential risk to non-target species and assessed for the level of uptake by cats, irrespective of their suitability/unsuitability as a medium for delivery of an encapsulated toxin. We believe the threat to biodiversity-conservation values from unmitigated feral-cat predation of native fauna poses a significant and real threat and we recommend urgent investment of resources to address the issue of cat predation in a coordinated and collaborative manner within Australia and New Zealand.

Translocations are globally a popular tool used with the intention of improving threatened species conservation and re-establishing ecosystem function. While practitioners strive for successful outcomes the failure rate of translocations continues to be high. We demonstrate how predictive modelling can contribute to more informed decision making and hence potentially improve the success rate of translocation programs. Two species, the Djoongari (Shark Bay mouse) Pseudomys fieldi and the golden bandicoot Isoodon auratus barrowensis, were introduced independently to Doole Island in the Exmouth Gulf of Western Australia. We used population viability analysis to critique the outcomes of these translocations and provide an example of how this tool can be incorporated with expert knowledge to predict likely outcomes of translocations. Djoongari did not establish on the island after seven translocations over nine years, while golden bandicoots established a population after just one release event. Retrospective population viability analysis (of data that was unavailable prior to the translocations) predicted and clarified the reasons behind the outcomes of both translocations. Golden bandicoots have considerably higher demographic plasticity than Djoongari, which were never likely to establish on the island. We conclude that the failure of the Djoongari translocation was due to interactions between sparse habitat, native predators and cyclonic storm surges, whereas golden bandicoots have demonstrated habitat flexibility and an ability to recover from multiple natural disasters. As a result we (1) remind conservation planners of the importance of quantifying likely refuges and habitat availability at release sites, (2) suggest practitioners consider how different threats (including natural disasters) may interact at potential release sites and (3) advocate for the incorporation of predictive modelling during the planning stages of translocations, particularly for conservation introductions where no precedent exists for the species’ survival at a particular location.

The United States and Spain have a varied history in their efforts to provide and preserve affordable housing. While one of Spain's main housing issues is its dearth of rental housing, the United States is troubled by a significantly higher percentage of housing cost-burdened residents. In Spain, an estimated 10% of the total population was housing cost-burdened in 2013 (defined as paying over 40% of income on housing). In contrast, an alarming 37% of US households were housing cost-burdened in 2017 (defined in as paying over 30% of income on housing). While the histories of housing policies and initiatives have differed greatly in both countries, historical and current trends demonstrate that there is still much to be done. This article examines housing policies in Spain and the United States, highlights progressive housing policies emerging from Austin, Texas and provides a case study of a workforce housing development in Austin, Texas. The reader will gain an understanding of how these policies, tools and developments could serve as an example for addressing Spain's housing crisis.