Thermal-assisted aerial culling (TAAC) for the improved control of vertebrate pest animal populations

Cox, Tarnya

doi:10.22541/au.165633745.51007622/v1

Cited by 2 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Based on the approach described by Cox et al (2022), we reviewed all available video footage and audio from the first four hours of flight time on 2, 4, and 5 October 2022 and recorded: (i) number of shotgun and rifle rounds fired; (ii) time taken between the first shot fired at the target with a shotgun and a confirmed kill (with shotgun or rifle); at least two helicopter personnel confirmed time of death based on the thermographer observing hotspots indicating that the thorax (heart and/or lungs) had been pierced, and a complete absence of movement confirmed by any crew member with clear vision; (iii) time between first detection of the target and confirmation of its death; if a deer stayed with its group under pursuit, pursuit time was cumulative for each consecutive deer (i.e., last deer killed in the group was recorded as pursued for the entire time that other deer in the group were being culled); if the group dispersed and a subset of that group had to be re-located, pursuit time was started when the group was relocated.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used 'time between first shot with a shotgun and confirmed death' and 'pursuit time' as indicators of duration of suffering and penetration and severity of shotgun pellets as indicators of intensity of suffering. The time recorded by Cox et al (2022) between first shot and confirmed death of deer using a rifle was 22 seconds; Hampton et al (2022) reported that 95% of deer were dead within 57 seconds of the first shot in their program using rifles. In this trial, the average time between first shot with a shotgun and confirmed death was 11 seconds, a markedly improved animal welfare outcome.…”

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike Cox et al (2022) Other influences such as proficiency of shooters, type of helicopter used, and weather conditions will also affect time between first shot (with shotgun or rifle) and confirmed death. In their study, Cox et al (2022) measured the 'time from first shot impact to death', a potentially useful metric for assessing shooter proficiency. We were unable to differentiate impact shots from non-impact shots because the thermographer was not on the same side of the helicopter as the primary shooter with the shotgun.…”

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, we were able to assess overall pursuit time, and time between first shot and confirmed kill. Cox et al (2022) In most jurisdictions, procedures and guidelines for aerial culling programs of feral deer dictate that a shot with a rifle is not taken until the shooter has a clear shot of the chest or head, and that there is no risk of the a wounded animal escaping to somewhere where a follow-up shot cannot be taken. The spread pattern of the shotgun pellets requires less precision for pellets to hit the thorax of the animal.…”

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

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Aerial culling feral fallow deer with shotguns improves efficiency and welfare outcomes

Bradshaw¹,

Doube²,

Scanlon³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Feral deer are some of Australia’s worst emerging pest species. Recently, the Government of South Australia launched a four-year program to reduce the populations of feral fallow deer (Dama dama). The program will focus on coordinating landscape-scale aerial culls and seeks to deliver the most efficient and humane approach to aerial culling. We sourced data from a recent program trialling a new approach to aerial culling that incorporated advanced thermal technology and a second shooter with a shotgun to target fallow deer. We reviewed available video and audio records of 104 deer culled in the program to assess efficiency and welfare outcomes. We collected information on the number of shotgun and rifle rounds fired per animal, time between first shot with a shotgun and confirmed death, and pursuit time. We completed field dissections of 20 individuals targeted in the program to assess the lethality of wounds inflicted with shotgun pellets. We also compared program costs and efficiency against published and unpublished data from ten other aerial-culling programs for feral deer in South Australia since 2009. A total of 383 shotgun rounds and 10 rifle rounds were used on 104 fallow deer in the focal program. We documented strong improvements to animal welfare for feral deer targeted with shotguns. The mean (± standard error) time between first shot and confirmed kill with a shotgun was 11.1 ± 0.7 seconds; mean pursuit time between detection and a confirmed kill was 49.5 ± 3.4 seconds. Pursuit time increased with subsequent deer controlled within a group; the maximum pursuit time for any individual was 159.0 seconds. All autopsied animals had received lethal wounds from shotgun pellets, with 100% receiving lung-penetrating damage and 70% also receiving heart-penetrating damage. While a program that uses a shotgun and rifle combined with a second shooter and thermographer can cost more to mobilise, the outcomes measured in cost deer-1 made it the most cost-effective approach of any program we assessed. Control options that deliver improved animal welfare outcomes and increase efficiency are desirable for managing expanding populations of feral deer in South Australia and elsewhere.

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Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Animal Welfarementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Aerial culling feral fallow deer with shotguns improves efficiency and welfare outcomes

Bradshaw¹,

Doube²,

Scanlon³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Managing vertebrate pest Sambar Deer at low abundance in mountains

Pulsford¹,

Roberts²,

Elford³

2022

Eco Management Restoration

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Summary Invasive species such as vertebrate herbivores cause threats to native ecosystems through causing changes to vegetation composition and structure, competition, ecosystem engineering, impacts on soil, and through spreading disease. In the mountainous country of Australia, Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor) are becoming an increasing threat to fragile and endangered ecosystems, which are also facing other significant threats such as climate change. Methods for ameliorating these impacts are currently limited to lethal control programmes through shooting or fencing key areas. Fencing is not a viable option for large areas and can have large logistical costs as well as negative ecological outcomes. This study aimed to compare two shooting methods (ground shooting vs thermally assisted aerial culling with thermal image operator) for controlling sambar at low densities in a mountainous area. This programme was the first to use this specific thermal technique for deer in mountainous country in Australia. We found that thermally assisted aerial culling was more effective for removing Sambar than ground shooting. Thermally assisted aerial culling removed more Sambar in total, shot more animals per hour, covered a larger search area, was cheaper per hectare covered, and had very high “seen”, “targeted”, and “shot” ratios. Ground shooting sessions were lower in cost overall, but the cost per hectare was higher and rate of Sambar shot was lower than that of thermally assisted aerial culling. Ground shooting did remove more Sambar per hectare as ground shooting focuses on a smaller area, but this advantage is outweighed by the fact that thermally assisted shooting also allowed the concurrent removal of Feral Pigs. This work indicates that thermally assisted aerial culling is the preferred method for effective management of Sambar in an alpine environment. Ground shooting may be beneficial when Sambar are concentrated in key areas or to complement initial knock down by thermally assisted aerial culling.

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Thermal-assisted aerial culling (TAAC) for the improved control of vertebrate pest animal populations

Cited by 2 publications

References 17 publications

Aerial culling feral fallow deer with shotguns improves efficiency and welfare outcomes

Aerial culling feral fallow deer with shotguns improves efficiency and welfare outcomes

Managing vertebrate pest Sambar Deer at low abundance in mountains

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