Animals in Australia vary greatly in their sensitivity to 1080 poison, with known LD50's ranging from 0.11 to over 800 mg kg-1. Many native species, particularly in western Australia, have evolved tolerances to 1080 through ingestion of native plants that contain fluoroacetate or prey that consume those plants. Despite this, some native species, particularly a few herbivorous mammals, birds and rodents, could be poisoned during control campaigns against vertebrate pests. Field studies indicate that poisoning campaigns are not significantly affecting populations of common non-target animals, but further impact studies are required on vulnerable, rare, endangered, or uncommon species.

The use of infrared-flash camera traps has increased dramatically over the past ten years particularly for capturerecapture population studies of distinctly-marked species. However, to use capture-recapture with the more inconspicuous species, high-quality colour imaging (and therefore white flash) is required. A potential problem with white flash is that it may negatively affect behaviour, in this case at bait stations, therefore causing results that do not truly represent possum activity. Possums were used in this study to compare two different types of camera trap: infrared and white flash. Camera traps were placed to take images of possums visiting bait stations, and the number of possum visits was used to determine if white-flash cameras gave different results to infrared-flash cameras. The white-flash cameras had slightly higher possum visits than infrared-flash cameras but the difference was not significant (P=0.437). Over time, the number of possum events (P=0.62) and the amount of time possums spent at the stations did not differ significantly (P=0.81). There was also no difference in the amount of bait taken by possums at white flash compared to infrared stations (P=0.61). Results show possums are not likely to be affected by white-flash cameras compared to infrared-flash cameras. This study therefore showed that there is unlikely to be any behavioural disadvantage in using white flash over infrared, allowing white-flash cameras to be investigated for their potential in identifying individual possums, and as a monitoring tool in control operations.

A microcomputer software package (AUSPLAGUE) is being constructed for development and testing of management plans for eradicating an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It will indicate when and where control of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) is necessary to contain and eradicate the disease. The software simulates the distribution and prevalence of FMD in feral pigs from the start of an outbreak and throughout the subsequent eradication campaign. The procedure is to integrate landscape data, the distribution and social behaviour of feral pigs, a model of disease dynamics, and appropriate control measures. The modular package design enables data bases and models of host-disease dynamics to be updated as further information is acquired on feral pig ecology. When completed, AUSPLAGUE will be used as a decision-support system in developing control strategies for a wide range of outbreak scenarios, and it will serve as a prototype for other diseases of feral animals and native wildlife.