Page 328 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

300 12 Training Animals so They Can Return to the Wild

VetBooks.ir colonised the continent. Most of these extinc- commencement of training, the researchers
infused the nets, calico bags, and cat car-
tions have coincided with the spread of inva-
sive foxes across the continent (Short and
armed with torches and nylon fishing nets
Smith 1994), but feral cats and changed fire casses with cat spray. At night, two people
regimes are implicated in the recent collapse searched for bilbies on roads, and captured
of mammals across northern Australia them with nets. A third person then placed
(Woinarski et al. 2011a; Fisher et al. 2014). the cat carcass atop of the captured bilby to
One species that has suffered major declines simulate an attack from a feral cat. Each
is the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), a trained bilby was weighed, checked for
medium‐sized (to 2.5 kg) omnivorous marsu- reproductive status and health, fitted with a
pial that was once widespread in Australia’s microchip and a radio‐transmitter, and
sandy desert regions. Bilbies are solitary, placed in a calico bag. A scented cat carcass
nocturnal animals that live inside spiral was used to encourage the trained bilby to
shaped burrows up to 2 m deep by day exit the bag, and two squirts of cat spray were
(Moseby and O’Donnell 2003), and emerge at directed towards the bilby as it fled from the
night to search for invertebrates, seeds, and bag. The researchers captured the control
plant material (Johnson 2008). The bilby bilbies in the same manner, or inside cage
once occupied nearly two thirds of arid traps, and processed them as described
Australia, but it is now restricted to just a above, but without the cat spray or cat car-
small fraction of its former geographic range, cass treatment. In total, the study involved
and is listed as vulnerable under the seven trained and seven control bilbies with
Australian Environmental Protection and four males and three females in each group.
Biodiversity Conservation Act. The major Following release, all bilbies were monitored
threats to the greater bilby are changes to tra- daily to determine their burrow use and
ditional Aboriginal burning practices and movements (Moseby et al. 2012).
predation by introduced cats and foxes Six days after the initial capture, training,
(Burbidge et al. 1988; Burrows et al. 2006). To and release, the trained bilbies experienced a
reduce predation on bilbies, in April 2000, second aversion event paired with the cat
Moseby and colleagues reintroduced cap- spray. This treatment was designed to mimic
tive‐bred bilbies to a predator free fenced a predator attempting to capture the bilby by
area of the Arid Recovery Reserve in South digging up its burrow. In this part of Australia,
Australia (Moseby and O’Donnell 2003). foxes, dingoes, and large varanid lizards are
This population increased steadily, and in the main predators that dig up bilby burrows.
2004, a trial reintroduction of wild bilbies Trained bilbies were located, and a researcher
from the predator‐free zone to the predator‐ administered three squirts of cat spray prior
present zone (aptly named the ‘Wild West’) to digging the burrow entrance with a gar-
was undertaken. However, this reintroduc- dening hoe for three minutes, levelling off
tion failed due to predation by feral cats the sand, and applying more cat spray.
(Moseby et al. 2011). Control bilbies received the same treatment,
To determine whether they could train but without the addition of the cat spray.
predator‐naive free ranging wild bilbies liv- Predator training of the wild bilbies living
ing inside the predator exclusion zone to rec- inside the predator‐proof enclosure was
ognise and respond to predators, Moseby highly effective. Following training, the pred-
and colleagues carried out a series of elegant ator‐trained bilbies used more burrows, and
training trials. To train bilbies to associate changed burrows more often, than did con-
the smell of cats with danger, scientists used trol bilbies. After the reinforcement burrow
a declawed freshly thawed feral cat carcass, dig, five of seven trained bilbies moved from
paired with a ‘cat spray’ consisting of cat their burrows, whereas all the control bilbies
urine and faecal material. Prior to the remained inside their burrows. Again, this