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

Abstract

Context Wild dog impacts to 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 that could be caused by several factors associated with baiting programs. 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 that had 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-naïve or bait-exposed population. Conclusions These results suggest that, while 1080 is potentially detectible, factors other than its presence is 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 to 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.