local elimination

Dual 1080 bait switching for killing cereal-bait-shy possums

To help develop new tactics for the local elimination of possums using a fast-acting toxin (1080; sodium fluoroacetate), we tested whether possums that had survived a cereal 1080 baiting could be poisoned with an alternative peanut butter paste (PB paste) bait that differed greatly in appearance, texture, smell, and taste. A two-stage field trial was undertaken in 2018 in three 50−80 ha study blocks in mature pine forest near Rotorua.