introduced from Australia, and for the control of rabbits. Possum control is aimed at Bronzewing pigeon 38 protecting biodiversity and helps to reduce Western rosella 71 the spread of bovine Tb. New Zealand Brown falcon ~30 sowing rates for aerial operations are 3–5 Barn owl ~22 kg/ha, which equates to 4.5–7.5 g 1080/ha. This compares to around 0.00015 g 1080/ha Inspecting and drying field wild –prepared for many fox baiting programs in Western dog baits Australia. Interestingly, areas with fluoroacetate-bearing plants can have up to How does 1080 compare to alternatives? 550 g of fluoroacetate per ha and yet, due to its degradation by microbes, fluoroacetate As yet are no alternative broad-scale methods for effectively and efficiently does not persist in these environments. reducing the numbers and impact of vertebrate pests across Australia. Some of the possible additional options considered are discussed below. Table 2: LD50 of 1080 (mg/kg) for some Immunosterility native Australian animals Fertility control of pest species is an attractive Species LD50 (mg/kg) option as it focuses on decreasing birth rate Bobtail skink rather than increasing death rate as do lethal Western Australia >800 control options. The possibility of developing South Australia 201 target-specific, naturally disseminated, Rosenberg’s goanna genetically-modified agents has been Western Australia 235 considered for rabbits, house mice, foxes, Australia 38 and introduced (New Zealand) brushtail Brushtail possum possums. However, despite a conservatively Western Australia 118 estimated $80AUD million research effort South Australia 0.64-0.84 spanning three Cooperative Research Western grey kangaroo 47 Centres over approximately 15 years, the Eastern grey kangaroo 0.29 technical challenges have proven too great Banded hare-wallaby 106 with current technology, and disseminating or Chuditch/Western quoll 7.1 bait delivered fertility control could not be Red-tail phascogale 16.5 practically developed for any pest species. Emu 96 Malleefowl 106 Strychnine
introduced from Australia, and for the control of rabbits. Possum control is aimed at protecting biodiversity and helps to reduce the spread of bovine Tb. New Zealand sowing rates for aerial operations are 3–5 kg/ha, which equates to 4.5–7.5 g 1080/ha. This compares to around 0.00015 g 1080/ha for many fox baiting programs in Western Australia. Interestingly, areas with fluoroacetate-bearing plants can have up to 550 g of fluoroacetate per ha and yet, due to its degradation by microbes, fluoroacetate does not persist in these environments. Table 2: LD50 of 1080 (mg/kg) for some native Australian animals Species LD50 (mg/kg) Bobtail skink Western Australia >800 South Australia 201 Rosenberg’s goanna Western Australia 235 Australia 38 Brushtail possum Western Australia 118 South Australia 0.64-0.84 Western grey kangaroo 47 Eastern grey kangaroo 0.29 Banded hare-wallaby 106 Chuditch/Western quoll 7.1 Red-tail phascogale 16.5 Emu 96 Malleefowl 106 Bronzewing pigeon 38 Western rosella 71 Brown falcon ~30 Barn owl ~22 Inspecting and drying field –prepared wild dog baits How does 1080 compare to alternatives? As yet are no alternative broad-scale methods for effectively and efficiently reducing the numbers and impact of vertebrate pests across Australia. Some of the possible additional options considered are discussed below. Immunosterility Fertility control of pest species is an attractive option as it focuses on decreasing birth rate rather than increasing death rate as do lethal control options. The possibility of developing target-specific, naturally disseminated, genetically-modified agents has been considered for rabbits, house mice, foxes, and introduced (New Zealand) brushtail possums. However, despite a conservatively estimated $80AUD million research effort spanning three Cooperative Research Centres over approximately 15 years, the technical challenges have proven too great with current technology, and disseminating or bait delivered fertility control could not be practically developed for any pest species. Strychnine