The direct risk of dingoes to threatened fauna has often been undervalued in studies promoting dingoes as a fauna restoration tool. Risk assessments of dingo predation have seldom been undertaken, but we assessed the potential risk of dingoes to populations of 80 threatened vertebrates and found that up to 94% of them are susceptible to dingo predation. These results suggest that foxes, feral cats and dingoes each present similarly high risks of predation to most threatened vertebrates. Photograph by Peter Fleming.

Conflict between endangered African wild dogs and livestock owners poses a major threat to the species’ survival when wild dogs move out of protected areas. By deploying translocated scent marks to simulate the presence of another wild dog pack, we were able to rapidly displace a wild dog pack from conflict-prone areas and move them back towards a protected area. This novel approach holds great potential for the management of several threatened species. Photograph by Craig Jackson.

Wildlife research often requires marking and tagging animals to collect data on survival, reproduction, movement, behaviour and physiology; however, some marking techniques have been reported to cause pain and to change swimming and haul-out behaviour, maternal attendance and duration of foraging trips. In the present paper, we review 30 years of published research assessing the effects of different marking and tagging techniques on marine mammals. Our review demonstrates that more research is required to document acute effects of marking, including injury and pain, and to better understand longer-term effects on health, reproduction and survival. Photograph by K. Walker (Permit #881-1890).

Climate can influence wildlife population dynamics but not all influences are the same. Analysis shows that the population dynamics of grey herons and malleefowl are more strongly influenced by weather conditions than barn owl populations. Other bird population dynamics may also be influenced by the climate.

Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags have been used to mark animals for individual identification and are being increasingly used for short-range detection of animals. We used PIT tags to detect terrestrial salamanders and found that this technique represented a substantial improvement in detection over hand capture, while not impacting salamander growth and survival. The possibility of remote, even below-ground, detection of animals should allow new insights into the movements and distributions of many small and difficult-to-study species. Photograph by Grant Connette.

The ability to monitor changes in wildlife or pest animal abundances is fundamental to effective population management, but practical and widely-relevant methods for observing changes in feral cat populations have so far been elusive. We found that photographic observations of feral cats captured from animal-triggered cameras could be used to detect changes in a feral cat population subjected to a control program. These methods might also be useful for detecting changes in populations of feral cats in other areas, which should enhance the effective management of this important environmental pest. Photograph by Andrew Bengsen.

Recent advances in bio-logging devices have greatly advanced some areas of wildlife research, including studies of seabirds. However, researchers must also recognise tracking devices may have an effect on birds’ behaviour, reproduction and survival. This study found no evidence of negative effects of attaching data-loggers on breeding short-tailed shearwaters. These data suggest that appropriate sized loggers are an effective method to obtain information at-sea from seabirds. Photograph by Mark Carey.

In northern Australia, the cane toad (Rhinella marina) has caused serious population declines of reptilian and mammalian predators, and is implicated in the recent decline of small dasyurid predators. To determine whether toads threaten the red-cheeked dunnart (Sminthopsis virginiae), we carried out feeding trails with predators and live cane toads. We found that red-cheeked dunnarts rapidly learnt to avoid cane toads as prey, suggesting that toads are unlikely to cause serious population declines of this species via lethal toxic ingestion. Photograph by Jonathan Webb.

Analysing rabbit warren distribution can help the management of wild rabbits in agricultural lands, where they cause significant damage to crops. We investigated the spatial pattern of warrens in an intensively managed agricultural landscape within the rabbit’s native range, and found most warrens in unploughed patches close to other occupied warrens. The management of such areas is therefore critical to the management of rabbits as an agricultural pest. Photograph by Isabel C. Barrio.

Competition for limited resources by people and wildlife is guaranteed to cause confrontations. The existing mitigation for human–crocodile conflict in Zambia is ineffective. The negative attitude towards wildlife needs to be addressed and a suitable response formulated. The most favoured type of mitigation suggested by local people was more boreholes and the removal of crocodiles. Photograph by Kevin Wallace.

Bushmeat hunting in tropical Africa is one of the main threats to wildlife conservation; yet it has received little attention from potentially contributing fields such as conservation genetics. Mitochondrial DNA-typing of a bushmeat market in south-western Nigeria allowed the identification of 17 mammalian species characteristic of the Dahomey Gap assemblage, of which the cryptic, newly described Walter’s duiker was the most hunted. Mitochondrial DNA-typing proved a valuable diagnostic tool for species sold on the bushmeat market, and shall contribute to set up a better monitoring of wildlife extirpation in tropical Africa. Photograph by Akinlabi Oyeyiola.

Viral diseases strongly affect persistence and colonisation of habitat patches by wild rabbits. In the coastal dunes in the Netherlands, rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) has led to many local extinctions in woodland habitats, but only rarely in grasslands. Woodland habitats may remain permanently unoccupied, resulting in a smaller area inhabited by rabbits in the presence of RHD. Photograph by Jasja Dekker.

Retaining habitat for hollow-using fauna in harvested forests is an important management action, yet there is little research into its effectiveness. By studying brushtail possum den use in multi-aged harvested and unharvested forest, we found that retained trees were used as the forest regenerates. We conclude that the retention of hollow-bearing trees in harvested forest can be an effective management action, but the retention of habitat in the surrounding landscape is also important to provide habitat as the harvested forest regenerates. Photograph by Lisa Cawthen.

Outbreaks of common voles (Microtus arvalis) cause enormous damage in agriculture but so far no reliable method is established to predict population outbreaks. Environmental factors are to date successfully used for predictive models in other rodent species and this work was able to identify the main weather parameters that correlate with outbreaks of common voles in Germany. A model based on easy-to-obtain weather parameters would enable farmers to take spatially and temporally targeted preventive measures against vole outbreaks. Photograph by Jens Jacob.

Rodents cause significant damage to irrigated lowland rice crops in South-east Asia, but there is little understanding about the best timing or the level of control required to minimise yield loss. A computer simulation model was built to account for rice crop growth and compensation from rodent damage, and showed how a one-off rodent control action with 50% effectiveness applied at the booting stage could achieve a 5% yield increase. Modelling improves pest management decisions by optimising the timing and level of effectiveness required to maximise yields. Photograph by Peter Brown.

Effecting change where communities need to manage rodents through concerted action can be done through media campaigns, but are these effective? This study examined the effects of a campaign to promote management where there are chronic losses to rice crop caused by rodents. The campaign successfully changed knowledge and practices of farmers, leading to increased yields and economic benefits. A campaign is a highly effective pathway for dissemination of rodent management technologies, especially if key messages are reinforced by local leaders and extension staff.

We investigated the relationship between two pest species of rodents occurring widely in Africa. The movement of the two species were tracked using telemetry and a non-toxic dye. The larger commensal house rat (genus Rattus) rarely left buildings, whereas the smaller multimammate mouse (genus Mastomys) only entered buildings where the house rat was absent. Biological interactions between pest are important for their management and control.

Multimammate rats are the most important vertebrate pests in sub-Saharan Africa and are also reservoirs of zoonotic diseases including plague and Lassa fever. We investigated the diet preference of these rats in ecologically different regions in east and southern Africa and established dietary shifts due to habitat type and season and clearly indicate preference for maize. The knowledge on the diet components of multimammate rats should be taken on board in establishing ecologically based rodent management in Africa. Photograph by Loth Mulungu.

The expansive Grassland Biome is one of the most extensively transformed in South Africa, yet no strategy for monitoring its integrity is in place. This contribution suggests that small mammal species richness, diversity, the ratio of generalist to specialist species and the presence of specific species are all indicators during the successional process. It establishes a benchmark for future small mammal assessments and monitoring, benefits the conservation and management of grassland ecosystems, and should make environmental impact assessments more effective. Photograph by Duncan MacFadyen.

Rodents may be involved in the transmission of many hazardous pathogens, probably including Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q-fever. This bacteria may cause morbidity and mortality in both humans and livestock. In this review, we investigate the possible contribution of rodents, based on the available literature, and identify aspects that need to be further clarified.

Adult female R. argentiventer responded to rice crop growth stage rather than to food quality and/or food quantity. Rice was the dominant food category in the stomach of R. argentiventer and they ate more green material when rice was not available. Intensive rice cropping with three rice crops per year and a short period of fallow could provide abundant food resources for rats at the study site.

Bait palatability is critical to the success of baiting programs but potentially influenced by an animal’s ability to access alternate food. We tested this influence for captive black rats and found that they ate more high-concentration baits when they had to search for alternate food compared with when it was easy to access. This result redefines bait palatability as not simply a matter of bait taste but also a function of an animal’s opportunities to access other food options.

Rodents, one of the major constraints in Asian rice production, are often perceived by Asian rice farmers as smarter than humans making them helpless in controlling them.  To overcome this belief, ecologically based rodent management (EBRM) was employed through strategic community action that utilized scientific knowledge within the socio-cultural context of northern Vietnam.  Farmer participation that produced experiential learning and multi-stakeholder partnerships between extension, political organisations, farmer groups and local communities generated strategic community actions resulting to the adoption of EBRM. Image by Arnel Rala and Nelia Garcia.

Albatross are threatened by human activities and are the focus of international conservation efforts. Here we assess the status and trends of the Australian endemic shy albatross and investigate influencing factors. These new data indicate that the three populations are stable or declining and raise concerns for the global conservation status of the species and identify priority areas for monitoring and research. Photograph by Rachael Alderman.

Freshwater turtles are one of the world’s most threatened animal groups. This study found evidence of severe population decline over the past 35 years for two of three turtle species inhabiting a section of Australia’s Murray River, most likely due to climatic drying in association with predation by introduced foxes. Turtle conservation in this region is likely to depend on appropriate environmental water allocation coupled with effective predator control. Photograph by Bruce Chessman.