In 1935, cane toads were introduced to Australia. This proved to be a terrible mistake. Australia now has hundreds of millions of toxic toads advancing across the country. How can we stop native predators from eating these highly poisonous toads?
In this episode, we chat with Dr Ella Kelly and Dr Naomi Indigo about their innovative efforts to save the endangered northern quoll – involving not-so-silly sausages, toad-smart traits, and the smell of “death”.
To read more about Ella and Naomi’s research, check out their peer-reviewed scientific papers, listed below. You can also find Ella and Naomi on Twitter (@ecology_ella and @NaomiIndigo).
Sources:
Indigo N., Smith J., Webb J.K. and Phillips B. (2018) Not such silly sausages: Evidence suggests northern quolls exhibit aversion to toads after training with toad sausages. Austral Ecology 43 (5), 592-601. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.12595
Indigo N., Smith J., Webb J.K. and Phillips B. (2019) Bangers and cash: Baiting efficiency in a heterogeneous population. Wildlife Society Bulletin 43 (4), 669-677. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1012
Jolly C.J., Kelly E., Gillespie G.R., Phillips B. and Webb J.K. (2017) Out of the frying pan: Reintroduction of toad‐smart northern quolls to southern Kakadu National Park. Austral Ecology 43 (2), 139-149. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.12551
Kelly E. and Phillips B.L. (2017) Get smart: native mammal develops toad-smart behavior in response to a toxic invader. Behavioural Ecology 28 (3), 854-858. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arx045
Kelly E., Phillips B.L. and Webb J.K. (2018) Taste overshadows less salient cues to elicit food aversion in endangered marsupial. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 209, 83-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.09.003
Kelly E. and Phillips B.L. (2019) Targeted gene flow and rapid adaptation in an endangered marsupial. Conservation Biology 33 (1), 112-121. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13149
Kelly E., Kenbi Traditional Owners and Rangers, Jolly C.J., Indigo N., Smart A., Webb J. and Phillips B. (2020) No outbreeding depression in a trial of targeted gene flow in an endangered Australian marsupial. Conservation Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-020-01316-z