Baiting program begins on the Burrup Peninsula and Dampier Archipelago
/ By Lucie BellThe Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) will this week begin baiting on the Burrup Peninsula and the Dampier Archipelago, in Western Australia's Pilbara region.
The annual baiting, which is part of the state wide Western Shield wildlife conservation program, aims to reduce numbers of foxes and feral cats in the region.
Wildlife officer, Eleanor Killen, says the pests are known to attack native wildlife.
"They eat animals such as the northern quoll, which is an endangered species, also the Rothschild rock wallaby, as well as sea turtles," she said.
Ms Killen says the hatchlings and eggs of species such as the green turtle, the hawksbill turtle, the loggerhead turtle and the flatback turtle, which only nest on Australian beaches, are at risk.
"Legendre Island especially is a known turtle rookery, so particularly in October and November we have turtles coming up and nesting," she said.
"Dolphin Island [where baiting will be conducted] is a bit of a stepping stone for foxes and cats to get to Legendre Island, where these turtles are hatching.
"So we really want to keep the northern Burrup clean of foxes and cats, because once they get to Dolphin Island they can quite easily swim across or wander across at low tide."
Ms Killen says rangers at the Murujuga National Park regularly see evidence of feral animal activity, including tracks and scats.
We really want to keep the northern Burrup clean of foxes and cats, because once they get to Dolphin Island they can quite easily wander across at low tide.
They also have photographic evidence of the pests' presence from motion sensor cameras on the Burrup Peninsula.
It's through such regular patrols and monitoring of cameras that DPaW plans to track the effectiveness of the program, once baits are dropped.
Ms Killen says it's also important for the public to be aware that 1080 poison does not discriminate between feral and domestic animals.
"The baits are poisonous to humans and they can kill pets, if consumed," she said.
"If you suspect your pet has taken in a 1080 bait, it's advised to induce vomiting and take it to the vet as soon as possible."
DPaW advises that it should be assumed that the baits, which are water soluble, will remain active year round.
"Due to our sunny Pilbara climate the poison can persist in the environment for a lot longer periods than it does down south," said Ms Killen.
"So I can't give an exact timeframe for how long the poison will be in the environment."
1080 poison is found naturally in many Western Australian native plants and DPaW advises that native animals have 'generally evolved a high level of tolerance to the poison.'
For more information, contact DPaW's Karratha office.