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Evaluation of the palatability and toxicity of candidate baits and toxicants for mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus)

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Abstract

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is an invasive pest species responsible for damage to native avian, reptile, and amphibian species on Hawaii, Croatia, Mauritius, and several Caribbean Islands, among other regions. Mongoose control has been pursued through a variety of means, with varying success. One toxicant, diphacinone, has been shown to be effective in mongooses and is co-labeled in a rodenticide bait for mongoose control in Hawaii; however, preliminary observations indicate low performance as a mongoose toxicant due likely to poor consumption. We evaluated the efficacy and palatability of 10 commercial rodenticide baits, technical diphacinone powder, and two alternative acute toxicants against mongooses in laboratory feeding trials. We observed poor acceptance and subsequent low overall mortality, of the hard grain-based pellets or block formulations typical of most of the commercial rodenticide baits. The exception was Tomcat® bait blocks containing 0.1% bromethalin, an acute neurotoxin, which achieved up to 100% mortality. Mortality among all other commercial rodenticide formulations ranged from 10 to 50%. Three-day feedings of 0.005% technical diphacinone formulated in fresh minced chicken achieved 100% mortality. One-day feedings of para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP), a chemical that reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, achieved 100% mortality at concentrations of 0.10 to 0.15%. Bait acceptance of two sodium nitrite formulations (similar toxic mode of action as PAPP) was relatively poor, and mortality averaged 20%. In general, commercially produced rodenticide baits were not preferred by mongooses and had lower mortality rates compared to freshly prepared meat bait formulations. More palatable baits had higher consumption and achieved higher mortality rates. The diphacinone bait registered for rat and mongoose control in Hawaii achieved 20% mortality and was less effective than some of the other commercial or candidate fresh bait products evaluated in this study.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank K. Swift (Formerly United States Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office) for continued support in elevating the importance and impacts of mongoose predation on native avian species in Hawaii and the Pacific region. Thanks to T. Crabbe for assistance in the field, laboratory and data entry, and to T. Borneman for preliminary data proofing and summaries. Lastly, our sincere thanks to Shane Siers for his critical review and suggestions for improvements to earlier versions of this manuscript. This study was approved by the USDA National Wildlife Research Center’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee under research protocol QA–2196.

Funding

Funding was provided by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office under Agreement #F14PG00168.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, 210 Amau’ulu Rd, Hilo, HI, 96720, USA

    Robert T. Sugihara & Cynthia G. Payne

  2. Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA

    William C. Pitt

  3. USDA APHIS WS National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave, Fort Collins, CO, 80521, USA

    Are R. Berentsen

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  1. Robert T. Sugihara
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Correspondence to Are R. Berentsen.

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Sugihara, R.T., Pitt, W.C., Berentsen, A.R. et al. Evaluation of the palatability and toxicity of candidate baits and toxicants for mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus). Eur J Wildl Res 64, 2 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-017-1163-9

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