Development of Re-Setting Toxin Delivery Devices and Long-Life Lures for Rats

Murphy, Elaine; Sjoberg, Tim; Barun, Arijana; Aylett, Paul; MacMorran, Duncan; Eason, Charles

doi:10.5070/v426110332

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Stoats are notoriously difficult to detect and control, requiring a range of techniques (Dilks et al 1996;Murphy et al 2014;Smith & Weston 2017). Stoats are known to have individual dietary preferences (Murphy & Dowding 1994;Smith et al 2008), and thus a range of options for toxic baits is also required.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxin-laced rat carcass baits for stoat elimination

Nichols¹,

Dent²,

Edwards³

2022

NZJE

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Stoats are implicated in the severe decline of certain iconic endemic species in New Zealand. Stoats are notoriously difficult to control, as they are highly cryptic and often neophobic around control techniques such as traps and poison baits in tunnels. Stoats are often killed through secondary poisoning in both aerial and hand-lay operations targeting other mammalian pests. We prototype trialled a novel approach to poisoning of stoats: wild-caught ship rats that had consumed (and subsequently died from) a lethal dose of 1080 cereal baits in a captive facility. Stoats in the treatment area were targeted at food-lured (egg mayonnaise) camera trap sites that had multiple stoat visitations prior to baiting with toxic rat carcasses. Stoats were recorded taking toxic rat carcass baits from 7 out of 15 hand-laid sites. No other species were observed taking toxic rat carcasses during the study. The number of cameras in the treatment area that detected stoats was significantly reduced for 30 days after toxic baiting. There was no significant difference in number of cameras that detected stoats during this period in the non-treatment area. These results suggest that 94% of the stoats in the treatment area were poisoned using toxin-laced rat carcasses within one week of baiting. Toxic rat carcass baits placed at locations of known stoat activity may be a highly successful method of eliminating individual stoats at very low density.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxin-laced rat carcass baits for stoat elimination

Nichols¹,

Dent²,

Edwards³

2022

NZJE

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“…For the long-term control of rats, a range of tools with different modes of action will be required (Campbell et al 2015). Resetting toxin devices (Spitfires) have been explored for the control of rats, stoats (Mustela erminea), and brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New Zealand (Murphy et al 2014(Murphy et al , 2018Blackie et al 2016). The Spitfire works by firing a paste containing a toxin onto the ventral surface of a pest and the device then re-sets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a new resetting tool for controlling rats

Murphy¹,

Agnew²,

Sjoberg³

et al. 2023

NZJE

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A resetting toxin device (the "Spitfire") has been designed that delivers a toxic paste to a rat's ventral surface when it passes through a tunnel. The rat grooms off the paste and ingests the toxin. The system was assessed in cage trials and one field trial. The purpose of the cage trials was to investigate whether a range of toxins can be delivered by the Spitfire to rats (Rattus rattus and R. norvegicus), namely 0.55% sodium fluoroacetate (1080), 0.2% brodifacoum, 15% cholecalciferol, and 12.5% zinc phosphide. The trials with 1080, brodifacoum, and zinc phosphide were successful with > 85% of rats ingesting lethal doses. The trials with cholecalciferol were less successful with only 58% of rats dying. A one-month pilot field trial was undertaken using 1080 in the Spitfires. There was a knockdown in rat (and stoat Mustela erminea) abundance, establishing proof of concept for the Spitfire delivery system with this toxin. The long-term, effective control of introduced rats will require a range of toxins with different modes of action. The Spitfire could be a useful additional control tool for rats and is currently being re-engineered to be made more reliable.

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“…Martin [24] found that reduced activity rates of stoats in early summer made tracking tunnel monitoring less effective, so this may be a time when more attractive lures could increase control and monitoring efficacy. Recent innovations such as tunnels that squirt toxins onto body fur [25] and 'virtual barriers' [26] could also benefit from effective long-life species-specific lures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Body Odours as Lures for Stoats Mustela erminea: Captive and Field Trials

Murphy

Sjoberg

Agnew

et al. 2022

Animals

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Eradication and control methods to limit damage caused to native biota in New Zealand by the stoat (Mustela erminea) rely on effective lures for trapping and detection devices, such as cameras. Long-life semiochemical lures have the potential for targeting stoats in situations where food-based lures are of limited success. The attractiveness of body odours of captive stoats was tested in a series of captive animal and extensive field trials to investigate their potential as trapping and monitoring lures. Stoats approached and spent significantly more time sniffing stoat urine and scats and bedding from oestrous female stoats than a non-treatment control. The bedding odours were attractive in both the breeding and the non-breeding season. Stoats also spent significantly more time sniffing oestrous stoat bedding than female ferret bedding, but the ferret odour also produced a significant response by stoats. In the field trials, there were no significant differences between the number of stoats caught with food lures (long-life rabbit or hen eggs) compared with oestrous female or male stoat bedding lures. These results indicate the potential of both stoat bedding odour and the scent of another mustelid species as stoat trapping lures that likely act as a general odour attractant rather than a specific chemical signal of oestrus.

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Development of Re-Setting Toxin Delivery Devices and Long-Life Lures for Rats

Cited by 11 publications

References 8 publications

Toxin-laced rat carcass baits for stoat elimination

Toxin-laced rat carcass baits for stoat elimination

Developing a new resetting tool for controlling rats

Body Odours as Lures for Stoats Mustela erminea: Captive and Field Trials

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