effectiveness of these products on rats typically 

 found on Pacific islands and a comparison of the 

 effectiveness of the products available. 



NWRC scientists have completed the initial testing 

 of rodenticides on three rodent species (black rat, 

 Polynesian rat, and mouse) and have evaluated 

 their effectiveness over 3-day and 7-day exposure 

 periods. As expected, the acute toxicants were more 

 effective than the first-generation anticoagulants. 

 However, there was a marked difference in the 

 toxicity of some products to these rodent species. 

 These differences in toxicity are partially explained 

 by differences in the amount of bait consumed and 

 the toxicity of the product. Rodent preference for 

 bait compared to laboratory chow diet varied greatly 

 by product and rodent species. 



Development of Mongoose Lures — Introduced 

 small Indian mongooses are major predators of 

 birds in Hawaii. The eggs and nestlings of ground- 

 nesting birds are especially vulnerable to these 

 invasive mammals, which occupy diverse habitats 

 on all the major islands except Kauai. Trapping 

 and bait stations have been used to reduce high 

 mongoose populations near and around native-bird 

 nesting habitats. However, the method has been 

 less successful in areas with low mongoose density 

 or high alternate prey density. Recent sightings of 



Mongooses are a major predator of ground-nesting birds in 

 Hawaii. (APHIS photo by WS employee Dan Vice.) 



mongooses on Kauai and the potential for accidental 

 introductions on other mongoose-free islands in the 

 Hawaiian chain or other Pacific locations highlight 

 the need for improved index and capture techniques 

 utilizing traps, scent-visitation stations, baits, lures, or 

 attractants to quickly respond to reported sightings 

 or incipient mongoose populations. 



NWRC scientists at the Hilo, HI, field station 

 identified several baits that were effective in 

 trapping mongooses, but their effectiveness in 

 attracting mongooses from a distance was unclear. 

 Thus, scientists evaluated the distance that these 

 lures were effective by using radio telemetry and 

 automatic microchip readers to track mongooses. 



Mongoose home ranges averaged 15-20 ha, and 

 some covered more than 50 ha. Several baits were 

 identified that encouraged mongooses to travel 

 long distances (>1 km). Results suggest that trap 

 spacing for mongooses should be increased, as 

 all mongooses easily detected baits at distances 

 over 100 m and covered large areas during 

 daily activities. Furthermore, several of the baits 

 identified could be used to trap incipient mongoose 

 populations or for the development of toxicant baits 

 specific for mongooses. 



TITLE: Resource Protection Through Avian 

 Population Management 



GOAL: Develop methods for estimating avian 



populations for species of concern; develop 

 and evaluate antifertility methods to reduce 

 nuisance avian populations; evaluate the 

 impacts of wildlife damage management 

 methods on targeted avian populations. 



As land-use patterns change and urban 

 populations spread into previously uninhabited 

 areas, human-wildlife conflicts inevitably increase. 

 Of growing concern are problems associated with 

 vultures and crows, species that have shown the 

 capacity to readily adapt to residential settings. 

 Additionally, populations of nonnative species, such 

 as feral pigeons and monk parakeets, continue to 

 grow with increasing detrimental impacts to human 

 health and safety. 



Developing Methods 33 



