Native bilbies fitted with poisonous implants to combat feral cats
One of Australia's most iconic native animals has been fitted with a poisonous implant to help combat the threat of feral cats and other invaders.
About 30 bilbies at Arid Recovery, a wildlife reserve about 550 kilometres north of Adelaide in the South Australian outback, have had the small rice-sized implant injected under their skin.
The Population Protecting Implants (PPI) were developed by Kyle Brewer from the University of South Australia.
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Dozens of bilbies in the South Australian outback have been fitted with a implant, poisonous to cats. Heath Missen
They are lethal to feral cats but not to bilbies due to a specialised coating, and the marsupials' natural resistance to the toxin.
The poison "activates" after it is ingested, Mr Brewer said.
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The rice-size implant is injected under the native animals' skin. The poison 'activates' when its ingested by a feral invader. University of South Australia
"If a feral cat successfully preys upon one of the PPI-injected mammals, it eats the implant, which activates in the cat's gastric system causing poison release and death," he said.
"Ultimately, this protects the remaining native animal population.
"By injecting native species with the PPI before they are reintroduced to their natural environment, we're providing a protective buffer that aims to take out the feral invader in one stroke."
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It's estimated, the 6.3 million feral cats roaming Australia will kill 456 million native mammals, 446 million reptiles, 272 million birds and 92 million frogs each year. University of South Australia
A small group of introduced species — including cats — are causing an estimated $25 billion of damage to Australia each year, and are pushing native species, like the bilby, closer to extinction.
The greater bilby is classed as a vulnerable species by the World Wildlife Fund.
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