CSIRO Publishing blank image blank image blank image blank imageBooksblank image blank image blank image blank imageJournalsblank image blank image blank image blank imageAbout Usblank image blank image blank image blank imageShopping Cartblank image blank image blank image You are here: Journals > Wildlife Research   
Wildlife Research
Journal Banner
  Ecology, Management and Conservation in Natural and Modified Habitats
 
blank image Search
 
blank image blank image
blank image
 
  Advanced Search
   

Journal Home
About the Journal
Editorial Board
Contacts
Content
Online Early
Current Issue
Just Accepted
All Issues
Special Issues
Sample Issue
For Authors
General Information
Notice to Authors
Submit Article
Open Access
For Referees
General Information
Review Article
Referee Guidelines
Annual Referee Index
For Subscribers
Subscription Prices
Customer Service
Print Publication Dates

blue arrow e-Alerts
blank image
Subscribe to our Email Alert or RSS feeds for the latest journal papers.

red arrow Connect with us
blank image
facebook   youtube

 

Article << Previous     |     Next >>   Contents Vol 39(7)

Evaluation of camera traps for monitoring European rabbits before and after control operations in Otago, New Zealand

A. David M. Latham A B, Graham Nugent A and Bruce Warburton A

A Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand.
B Corresponding author. Email: lathamd@landcareresearch.co.nz

Wildlife Research 39(7) 621-628 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR12050
Submitted: 8 March 2012  Accepted: 4 August 2012   Published: 4 September 2012


 
PDF (376 KB) $25
 Export Citation
 Print
  
Abstract

Context: European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are reaching plague proportions again in some parts of New Zealand as the effect of rabbit haemorrhagic disease begins to wane. Effective monitoring techniques are required to quantify the success of alternative methods of controlling rabbits, such as poisoning.

Aim: To evaluate camera traps as a method of estimating the percentage of rabbits killed in a poison control operation, and to compare results obtained from cameras with those from traditional monitoring methods (spotlight transects and vantage-point counts).

Methods: We deployed cameras and conducted vantage-point counts and spotlight transects to compare a priori statistical power. We then used these monitoring methods to estimate percentage kill from a case study rabbit-control operation using sodium fluoroacetate (compound 1080).

Key results: Cameras had good statistical power to detect large reductions in rabbit numbers (>90%) and the percentage kill estimated using cameras was comparable with spotlight transects and vantage-point counts.

Conclusions: Cameras set up at fixed sampling locations can be an effective method of quantitatively assessing rabbit population control outcomes. We recommend that ≥6 cameras per 100 ha should remain active for at least 5 days before and 5 days following control, so as to obtain reliable estimates of percentage kill.

Implications: Cameras may be preferable to conventional monitoring methods where there is insufficient area to walk or drive transects, terrain is too rugged or scrubby for transects, and there are no or few vantage points from which to count rabbits.

Additional keywords: aerial control, infrared-triggered cameras, percentage kill, sodium fluoroacetate, 1080, Oryctolagus cuniculus.


References

Ballinger, A., and Morgan, D. G. (2002). Validating two methods for monitoring population size of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Wildlife Research 29, 431–437.
CrossRef |

Barrio, I. C., Acevedo, P., and Tortosa, F. S. (2010). Assessment of methods for estimating wild rabbit population abundance in agricultural landscapes. European Journal of Wildlife Research 56, 335–340.
CrossRef |

Bengsen, A. J., Leung, L. K.-P., Lapidge, S. J., and Gordon, I. J. (2011). Using a general index approach to analyze camera-trap abundance indices. The Journal of Wildlife Management 75, 1222–1227.
CrossRef |

Braysher, M. (1993). ‘Managing Vertebrate Pests: Principles and Strategies.’ (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.)

Caughley, G. (1977). ‘Analysis of Vertebrate Populations.’ (Wiley: New York.)

Champely, S. (2009). ‘pwr: Basic Functions for Power Analysis. R Package Version 1.1.1.’ Available at http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=pwr [verified 17 October 2012].

Cutler, T. L., and Swann, D. E. (1999). Using remote photography in wildlife ecology: a review. Wildlife Society Bulletin 27, 571–581.

De Bondi, N., White, J. G., Stevens, M., and Cooke, R. (2010). A comparison of the effectiveness of camera trapping and live trapping for sampling terrestrial small-mammal communities. Wildlife Research 37, 456–465.
CrossRef |

Dunnet, G. M. (1957). Notes on emergence behaviour of the rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), and its bearing on the validity of sight counts for population estimates. CSIRO Wildlife Research 2, 85–89.
CrossRef |

Engeman, R. M. (2005). Indexing principles and a widely applicable paradigm for indexing animal populations. Wildlife Research 32, 203–210.
CrossRef |

Fletcher, D. J., Moller, H., and Clapperton, B. K. (1999). Spotlight counts for assessing abundance of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.). Wildlife Research 26, 609–620.
CrossRef |

Frampton, C., and Warburton, B. (1994). Methods for monitoring rabbit populations: a review. Unpublished contract report (LC9394/77). Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand.

Fraser, K. W. (1985). Biology of the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.)) in Central Otago, New Zealand, with emphasis on behaviour and its relevance to poison control operations. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Fraser, K. W. (1992). Emergence behaviour of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in central Otago, New Zealand. Journal of Zoology 228, 615–623.
CrossRef |

Karanth, K. U., and Nichols, J. D. (1998). Estimation of tiger densities in India using photographic captures and recaptures. Ecology 79, 2852–2862.
CrossRef |

Kays, R., Tilak, S., Kranstauber, B., Jansen, P. A., Carbone, C., Rowcliffe, M., Fountain, T., Eggert, J., and He, Z. (2011). Camera traps as sensor networks for monitoring animal communities. International Journal of Research and Reviews in Wireless Sensor Networks 1, 19–29.

Krebs, C. J. (1998). ‘Ecological Methodology.’ (Benjamin/Cummings: Menlo Park, CA.)

Lough, R. S. (2009). The current state of rabbit management in New Zealand: issues, options and recommendations for the future. Unpublished contract report for MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. MAF Biosecurity, Wellington, New Zealand.

Norbury, G., and McGlinchy, A. (1996). The impact of rabbit control on predator sightings in the semi-arid high country of the South Island, New Zealand. Wildlife Research 23, 93–97.
CrossRef |

Norbury, G., and Reddiex, B. (2005). European rabbit. In ‘The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals’. (Ed. C. M. King.) pp. 131–150. (Oxford University Press: Melbourne.)

Nugent, G., Twigg, L. E., Warburton, B., McGlinchy, A., Fisher, P., Gormley, A. M., and Parkes, J. P. (2012). Why 0.02%. A review of the basis for current practice in aerial 1080 baiting for rabbits in New Zealand. Wildlife Research 39, 89–103.
CrossRef |

R Development Core Team (2009). R: a language and environment for statistical computing. (R Foundation for Statistical Computing: Vienna, Austria.) Available at http://www.R-project.org [verified 17 October 2012].

Rowley, I. (1957). Observations on evening rabbit activity in relation to weather and sunset. CSIRO Wildlife Research 2, 168–169.
CrossRef |

Steidl, R. J., Hayes, J. P., and Schauber, E. (1997). Statistical power analysis in wildlife research. The Journal of Wildlife Management 61, 270–279.
CrossRef |

Swann, D. E., Hass, C. C., Dalton, D. C., and Wolf, S. A. (2004). Infrared-triggered cameras for detecting wildlife: an evaluation and review. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32, 357–365.
CrossRef |

Twigg, L. E. (2010). Review of rabbit control using 1080 and Pindone in New Zealand. Unpublished contract report for Landcare Research (0910-96-007 B). LET Consultants, Murdoch, WA, Australia.

Twigg, L. E., Lowe, T. J., and Martin, G. R. (2002). Evaluation of bait stations for broadacre control of rabbits. Wildlife Research 29, 513–522.
CrossRef |

Villafuerte, R., Kufner, M. B., Delibes, M., and Moreno, S. (1993). Environmental factors influencing the seasonal daily activity of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in a Mediterranean area. Mammalia 57, 341–347.

Warburton, B., and Frampton, C. (1994). Evaluation of the McLean Scale for scoring relative rabbit abundance. Unpublished contract report (LC9495/049). Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand.

Williams, K., Parer, I., Coman, B., Burley, J., and Braysher, M. (1995). ‘Managing Vertebrate Pests: Rabbits.’ (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.)

Zar, J. H. (1996). ‘Biostatistical Analysis.’ (Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.)


   
Subscriber Login
Username:
Password:  

 
    
Legal & Privacy | Contact Us | Help

CSIRO

© CSIRO 1996-2013