Live-capture of feral cats using tracking dogs and darting, with comparisons to leg-hold trapping
Live-capture of feral cats using tracking dogs and darting, with comparisons to leg-hold trapping
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使用追踪犬和飞镖实时捕获野猫，并与夹腿诱捕进行比较
DOI：
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发表时间：
2016
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
S. Legge
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Hugh W. McGregor;J. Hampton;D. Lisle;S. Legge
抽象背景。野猫的捕食是对许多澳大利亚本土野生动物物种的主要威胁。不幸的是，使用标准诱捕技术很难捕获猫，这限制了对其生态和影响进行研究的潜力。目标。我们提出了另一种捕获方法：在用训练有素的狗进行跟踪后进行远程化学固定。我们还将捕获率与并发软下巴腿部捕获捕获程序进行了比较。方法。我们在夜间用狗捕捉通过聚光灯检测到的猫，并在白天重新捕捉装有遥测项圈的猫。猫要么被放在地上，要么被挂在树上，然后用手网住，或者用二氧化碳驱动的飞镖步枪发射飞镖进行化学固定，飞镖装载有~6mg/kg-1的替来他明-佐拉西泮。对影响用狗捕获猫的成功率的因素进行了评估。比较了使用训练有素的狗与腿抱式诱捕的野外工作中每人每小时捕获的猫的效率。关键结果。我们尝试使用追踪犬捕获 160 只猫，其中 114 只成功。没有与化学固定相关的死亡或身体虚弱的伤害；然而，服用镇静剂的猫恢复时间较长（>4小时）。随着追踪犬经验的积累，追踪犬的捕获成功率也会提高。在野外工作中，使用聚光灯和追踪犬进行的每人小时捕获成功率是使用腿部陷阱的四倍。使用警犬重新捕获的成功率为 97%。结论。事实证明，使用训练有素的追踪犬是捕捉野猫的有效方法。该方法比用腿夹式陷阱进行活体诱捕的成功率要高得多，与腿式陷阱相比，花费的精力更少（以人时计），造成的身体伤害也更少。然而，需要大量的设置成本和时间，对此进行了讨论。影响。使用这些方法可以提高捕捉野猫的效率和结果，并且可以比其他方法收集更多的每只猫的数据。
Abstract Context. Predation by feral cats is a key threatening process to many species of native Australian wildlife. Unfortunately, cats are difficult to capture using standard trapping techniques, limiting the potential to conduct research on their ecology and impacts. Aims. We present an alternative capture method: remote chemical immobilisation after tracking with trained dogs. We also compare capture rates to a concurrent soft-jaw leg-hold trapping program. Methods. We used dogs to capture cats detected by spotlighting at night, and also recaptured cats fitted with telemetry collars during the day. Cats were either bailed on the ground or treed and then hand-netted, or chemically immobilised using darts shot from a CO2-powered dart rifle, loaded with tiletamine–zolazepam at ∼6 mg kg–1. Factors affecting the success rate of capturing cats using dogs were assessed. Efficiency in terms of cats captured per person-hours of fieldwork were compared using trained dogs versus leg-hold trapping. Key results. We attempted 160 cat captures using the tracking dogs with 114 of those being successful. There were no mortalities or debilitating physical injuries associated with chemical immobilisation; however, sedated cats had prolonged recoveries (>4 h). Capture success with the tracking dogs increased as the dogs gained experience. Capture success rates per person-hour of fieldwork were four times greater using spotlighting with tracking dogs than using leg-hold traps. The success rate of recaptures using dogs was 97%. Conclusions. The use of trained tracking dogs proved an effective method for capturing feral cats. The method had a much higher success rate than live-trapping with leg-hold traps, took less effort (in terms of person-hours) and caused less physical injuries than did leg-hold traps. However, substantial setup costs and time are required, which are discussed. Implications. Using these methods could improve efficiency and outcomes when catching feral cats, and enable more data per individual cat to be collected than otherwise.