Western Australia native animals trained to avoid cane toads
- From: AAP
- November 26, 2012
- Native animals being trained not to snack on cane toads
- Uses less toxic parts of cane toads and a nausea-inducing salt
- Harmless to animals, but makes them feel sick
BAIT made from the less toxic parts of cane toads and a nausea-inducing salt is being used in Western Australia to give native fauna a bad taste.
The aim is to train the native creatures not to snack on the poisonous introduced toads.
Remote cameras have been set up throughout the Kimberley region near Kununurra and Warmun and in Mitchell River National Park to track what happens when native animals come across the baits.
Research scientist David Pearson said the baits were placed in front of cameras to capture the responses of animals that came up and inspected them.
"It is already clear that a number of target species such as northern quolls, blue-tongue lizards and some goannas will eat the baits," he said.
"A dingo at Mitchell River has also been videotaped picking up the bait then quickly spitting it out, presumably when it tasted the salt compound."
Dr Pearson said the cameras also captured rare fauna including nabarlek rock wallabies, scaly-tailed possums and golden-backed tree-rats.
He said it was hoped the baits could train species to avoid eating toads through taste aversion.
"We want to teach native predators that toads are unsuitable prey that will result in sickness and possibly death," he said.
The small sausage baits are made by biologists by mincing less toxic parts of toads, such as the back legs, and is then injected with a salt that is harmless but makes animals feel sick.
"The idea is that predators that consume these baits which smell and taste like toads, will feel ill and then not be tempted to consume real toads," Dr Pearson said.
The trials are jointly run by the WA Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the University of Sydney.