Effectiveness of cyanide pellets for control of Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus) in New Zealand

Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus) are an introduced pest requiring control in New Zealand. Historically, sodium fluoroacetate (1080) has been used, but there is political resistance to this method of control from specific interest groups. Previous trials with captive animals have shown that Feratox®cyanide pellets are efficacious for Bennett's wallaby and the aim of this study was to field test Feratox®A 300-ha treatment block was pre-fed non-toxic bait for 2 weeks followed by the presentation of 200-mg Feratox®pellets. Rates of faecal pellet accumulation were markedly higher in the non-treatment block following control and the Guildford score of wallaby abundance reduced from 5 to 2 in the treatment block. In total, 110 dead wallabies were found less than 50 m from the baiting sites. These results suggest that Feratox®is an effective ground-based alternative to 1080 for Bennett's wallaby control. ©2011 The Royal Society of New Zealand