Tracking bait fate: reducing the 'unknowns' in baiting programs

Baiting using poison is a commonly used tool for predator management for both conservation and agricultural outcomes in Australia. Previous research has used camera trapping to investigate what species consume baits and how baiting programs can change predator densities. However, there are limitations associated with the use of camera traps for bait uptake and identification of individual predators for density estimates. They can fail to detect animals and miss the exact moment of bait removal and thus bait fate.

Here we trial mini-transmitters inserted into baits, in addition to 60 camera traps, to determine the fate of baits in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. Toxic baits were deployed in the spring of 2021 for wild dog management. The number of 'unknown' outcomes of the deployed baits was reduced significantly compared to other bait fate camera trapping programs; 90% of baits had known fate outcomes in this trial. We found a single wild dog consumed a bait and wild dog density was reduced post-baiting. However, in some of the later sampling periods there was a lack of quality wild dog images for individual animal identification which could impact density estimates.

This trial demonstrated the current baiting program used in the Gascoyne region is likely to be an effective method of reducing wild dogs on the ground. Bait fate knowledge was improved by the use of mini transmitters. However, limitations with camera traps producing images of sufficient quality to identify individual animals potentially hindered wild dog density estimates. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.