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The Boar‐Operated‐System: a Novel Method to Deliver Baits to Wild Pigs
Author(s) -
MASSEI GIOVANNA,
COATS JULIA,
QUY ROGER,
STORER KATE,
COWAN DAVE P.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.2193/2008-489
Subject(s) - wild boar , boar , biology , animal health , domestic pig , zoology , african swine fever , veterinary medicine , ecology , anatomy , medicine , virology , geography , forestry , semen , virus
Bait‐delivered pharmaceuticals, increasingly used to manage populations of wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) and feral pigs, may be ingested by nontarget species. Species‐specificity could be achieved through a delivery system. We designed the BOS TM (Boar‐Operated‐System) as a device to deliver baits to wild pigs. The BOS TM consists of a metal pole onto which a round perforated base is attached. A metal cone with a wide rim slides up and down the pole and fully encloses the base onto which the baits are placed. We conducted a pilot, captive trial and found that captive wild boar fed from the BOS TM either directly, by lifting the cone, or indirectly, by feeding once another animal had lifted the cone. Thus, we tested whether free‐living wild boar fed from the BOS TM and whether the BOS TM could prevent bait uptake by nontarget species. We observed that free‐living wild boar fed regularly from the BOS TM and that the device successfully prevented bait uptake by nontarget species. The BOS TM should be trialed more extensively to confirm its effectiveness and species‐specificity to distribute pharmaceuticals to wild suids. If successful, the BOS TM could be used to deliver vaccines in disease control programs as well as contraceptives to manage overabundant populations of wild suids.