A novel device for controlling brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Pen and small-scale field trials have been completed on a new, long-life, resetting toxin delivery system for brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). Devices are designed to attract and control possums over long periods of time with minimal input and maintenance. The units are species-specific, lightweight, environmentally robust, and have the ability to control 100 possums before requiring servicing. Devices dispense a measured dose (0.8 g) of a palatable gel containing 12.5% zinc phosphide (Zn3P2) onto a possum’s abdomen. Pen trial results demonstrated that after receiving a measured dose from these devices, 89% of nine possums groomed the gel from their fur, ingested it and died. The average time to death following ingestion of a lethal dose of zinc phosphide was 4.6 hours, a comparatively short timeframe compared to other control tools (specifically sodium fluoroacetate, cholecalciferol or brodifacoum). A small-scale field trial deploying 11 devices at 100-m intervals was run in an 11-ha mountain beech (Fuscospora cliffortioides) forest site. A sample of ten possums in the vicinity of these devices were collared with VHF-mortality sensors and, of the nine individuals with known fates, eight were killed shortly after interacting with a resetting delivery system.

[1]  L. Matthews,et al.  Cyanide induced aversions in the possum (Trichosurus vulpecula): Effect of route of administration, dose, and formulation , 1995, Physiology & Behavior.

[2]  M. D. Thomas.  Possum control in native forests using sodium monofluroacetate (1080) in bait stations , 1994 .

[3]  G. Hickling,et al.  The role of non-toxic prefeed and postfeed in the development and maintenance of 1080 bait shyness in captive brushtail possums , 2000 .

[4]  R. Orchard,et al.  New technology for poison delivery , 1999 .

[5]  C. Eason,et al.  Review of the toxicity and impacts of brodifacoum on non‐target wildlife in New Zealand , 1995 .

[6]  C. Eason,et al.  A review of existing and potential New World and Australasian vertebrate pesticides with a rationale for linking use patterns to registration requirements , 2010 .

[7]  P. Fisher.  REVIEW OF USING RHODAMINE B AS A MARKER FOR WILDLIFE STUDIES , 1999 .

[8]  D. Morgan.  RISKS TO NON-TARGET SPECIES FROM USE OF A GEL BAIT FOR POSSUM CONTROL , 1999 .

[9]  P. White,et al.  Population recovery of common brushtail possums after local depopulation , 2004 .

[10]  C. Eason,et al.  Innovative developments for long-term mammalian pest control. , 2014, Pest management science.

[11]  Matthew C. Thomas,et al.  Poisoning mammalian pests can have unintended consequences for future control: two case studies , 1999 .

[12]  B. Warburton,et al.  Hoarding behavior by ship rats (Rattus rattus) in captivity and its relevance to the effectiveness of pest control operations , 2011, European Journal of Wildlife Research.

[13]  G. Hickling,et al.  The Efficacy of Baits Containing 1080 for Control of Brushtail Possums , 1999 .

[14]  C. Eason,et al.  REVIEW ARTICLE Toxicology and ecotoxicology of zinc phosphide as used for pest control in New Zealand , 2013 .

[15]  C. Eason,et al.  An updated review of the toxicology and ecotoxicology of sodium fluoroacetate (1080) in relation to its use as a pest control tool in New Zealand , 2011 .