The short-term effects of a routine poisoning campaign on the movements and detectability of a social top-predator

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2014 Feb;21(3):2178-2190. doi: 10.1007/s11356-013-2118-7. Epub 2013 Sep 17.

Abstract

Top-predators can be important components of resilient ecosystems, but they are still controlled in many places to mitigate a variety of economic, environmental and/or social impacts. Lethal control is often achieved through the broad-scale application of poisoned baits. Understanding the direct and indirect effects of such lethal control on subsequent movements and behaviour of survivors is an important pre-requisite for interpreting the efficacy and ecological outcomes of top-predator control. In this study, we use GPS tracking collars to investigate the fine-scale and short-term movements of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo and other wild dogs) in response to a routine poison-baiting program as an example of how a common, social top-predator can respond (behaviourally) to moderate levels of population reduction. We found no consistent control-induced differences in home range size or location, daily distance travelled, speed of travel, temporal activity patterns or road/trail usage for the seven surviving dingoes we monitored immediately before and after a typical lethal control event. These data suggest that the spatial behaviour of surviving dingoes was not altered in ways likely to affect their detectability, and if control-induced changes in dingoes' ecological function did occur, these may not be related to altered spatial behaviour or movement patterns.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Ecology
  • Ecosystem
  • Environment
  • Pest Control / methods*
  • Population Dynamics
  • Predatory Behavior / drug effects*
  • Predatory Behavior / physiology
  • Wolves / physiology*