Increasing Bait Availability for Predator Control

ABSTRACT Wild dog management is important for mitigating predation impacts on wildlife and livestock. Baiting is the most commonly used tool for managing wild dogs given its ease of application and cost effectiveness. However, wild dogs must find and consume baits for programs to be successful. Non‐target species in Western Australia are fortunate to have little ill effects when consuming 1080 baits but reduce bait availability for wild dogs through consumption of baits. In Western Australia non‐target interference reduces the effectiveness of wild dog baiting programs. In order to overcome this issue we baited at a higher rate of 40 baits/km in spring of 2021 and 2022. During the 2021 dried meat bait deployment wild dog density was reduced by 97%, and in 2022 during the sausage bait drop wild dog density increased by 60%. However, in 2022, the wild dog density was only 11 wild dogs per 100 linear km due to previous bait deployments. Overall, baiting at a higher rate of 40 baits/km rather than 10 baits/km is an effective method of wild dog management in Western Australia, at least when wild dog density is high.