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Detectability of sodium fluoroacetate (1080) in wild dog baits and impacts on bait uptake
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Detectability of sodium fluoroacetate (1080) in wild dog baits and impacts on bait uptake

Peter Elsworth, John-Michael Stuart, Craig A. Murray, Matthew N. Gentle, Tracey L. Kreplins, Malcolm S. Kennedy and Patricia A. Fleming
Wildlife research (East Melbourne), Vol.52(12), 25138
2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/WR25138
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Published5.74 MBDownloadView
CC BY V4.0,  Open Access

Abstract

Ecology Environmental Sciences & Ecology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology Zoology
Context Wild dog impacts on agricultural and environmental systems in Australia are commonly managed through broadscale baiting using sodium fluoroacetate (1080). There has been growing evidence of bait avoidance in some populations of wild dogs throughout Australia, raising concerns about the efficacy of 1080 baiting. Bait avoidance can be a learned behaviour in a population, which could be caused by several factors associated with baiting programmes. One potential causative factor in developing bait avoidance is the ability to detect and respond to the toxin in the bait. The toxin 1080 is described as odourless and colourless to dogs, suggesting limited cues for its detection, but has not been formally tested.Aims This study used a trained detector dog to evaluate the detectability of 1080 to a dog and then the detectability in a variety of bait matrices. We also used a field trial to assess if 1080 dried meat baits were less likely to be taken than non-toxic baits in sites with a history of dog baiting or no dog baiting.Methods We trained a detector dog to detect 1080 odour and trialled this ability on different bait matrices. We used a field-based cafeteria-style trial to investigate the possibility of toxin detection by wild dogs.Key results We demonstrated that a trained dog could detect the presence of 1080, but detectability of the toxin when presented in different baits was variable and mostly greatly reduced. The field trials demonstrated no significant difference in bait take between 1080 and non-toxic baits by wild dogs in either a bait-na & iuml;ve or bait-exposed population.Conclusions These results suggest that, while 1080 is potentially detectable, factors other than its presence are responsible for bait avoidance in wild dog populations.Implications Wild dog management is heavily reliant on baiting with 1080 to reduce populations and thus reduce impacts on the environment and agriculture. The use of 1080 is unlikely to be the cause of bait avoidance and so where reduced uptake of baits by dogs is occurring, other factors need to be investigated and addressed.

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#15 Life on Land

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
3.35.274 Wildlife Ecology
Web Of Science research areas
Ecology
Zoology
ESI research areas
Plant & Animal Science
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