Abstract Context Feral cats have benefitted from effective control of foxes in south-western Australia and, consequently, their impact on some threatened mammal species has increased. Control of feral cats in the region can be enhanced by use of the Eradicat® cat bait, but its impact on non-target animal populations requires investigation before widespread use. Aims The aim of the present study was to determine through field trials whether consumption of Eradicat® baits by resident red-tailed phascogales, following a broadscale baiting operation to control feral cats, was sufficiently frequent to cause significant rates of mortality in wild populations of phascogales. Methods Nine radio-tagged red-tailed phascogales were monitored through an Eradicat® baiting event to determine their survival. Removal and consumption of toxic and non-toxic rhodamine B-labelled baits by a range of species were monitored with camera traps and by subsequent trapping of red-tailed phascogales and other mammals to sample whiskers for evidence of rhodamine uptake. Key results Although some phascogales showed interest in baits and sometimes moved them from the deposition site, all radio-tagged phascogales survived for at least 1 week after baiting, by which time very few or no baits remained. Examination of whiskers sampled from individuals exposed to rhodamine-labelled baits showed that consumption of non-toxic Eradicat® baits by phascogales was negligible; only one phascogale of 62 sampled showed any rhodamine banding. Conclusions The present study provided no evidence that red-tailed phascogales in the study region are at risk from an Eradicat® baiting episode in autumn. Implications The risk to red-tailed phascogale populations through the use of Eradicat® baiting to control cats in their habitat in the Great Southern region of Western Australia is likely to be low. Further research to elucidate any impact of repeated baiting on populations of this species at several locations is recommended.

中文翻译：

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红尾 phascogales (Phascogale calura) 是否会受到 Eradicat® 猫饵的威胁？

摘要背景野猫受益于澳大利亚西南部对狐狸的有效控制，因此，它们对一些受威胁的哺乳动物物种的影响有所增加。使用 Eradicat® 猫饵可以加强对该地区野猫的控制，但它对非目标动物种群的影响需要在广泛使用之前进行调查。目的 本研究的目的是通过田间试验确定在控制野猫的大规模诱饵操作后，常驻红尾 phascogales 食用 Eradicat® 诱饵是否足够频繁，导致野生 phascogales 种群的死亡率很高. 方法 通过 Eradicat® 诱饵事件监测 9 种放射性标记的红尾 phascogales，以确定它们的存活率。一系列物种对有毒和无毒罗丹明 B 标记诱饵的去除和消耗使用相机陷阱进行监测，随后通过捕获红尾 phascogales 和其他哺乳动物对胡须进行采样，以获取罗丹明摄取的证据。主要结果 尽管一些 phascogales 对诱饵表现出兴趣并有时将它们从沉积地点移走，但所有放射性标记的 phascogales 在诱饵后至少存活了 1 周，在这段时间里几乎没有或没有诱饵。对暴露于罗丹明标记诱饵的个体的胡须进行的检查表明，phascogales 对无毒 Eradicat® 诱饵的消耗可以忽略不计；采样的 62 个 phascogale 中只有一个显示任何罗丹明条带。结论 本研究未提供任何证据表明研究区域的红尾 phascogales 面临秋季 Eradicat® 诱饵事件的风险。影响 通过使用 Eradicat® 诱饵来控制西澳大利亚大南部地区栖息地中的猫，对红尾 phascogale 种群的风险可能很低。建议进一步研究以阐明重复诱饵对该物种在多个地点的种群的任何影响。