On autumn nights, juvenile foxes are often easy to spot. Slinking across paddocks and gardens, or cast off the side of the highway as roadkill. Motor impacts aside, this introduced species is flexible, opportunistic, and thriving in urban Sydney.

Landowners near national parks will soon be receiving letters from the government about fox baiting activities. Every year I attach our notice to the fridge, filled with conflict as I weigh up the fox-driven destruction of local wildlife against the stark animal welfare issues of using 1080 baits.

Foxes and rabbits were introduced in the 1870s for sport hunting, and declared a pest species just 30 years later. The current population sits at a stubborn 1.7 million, and they are found across 80% of the mainland. Foxes and feral cats in particular have been key drivers in wiping out 34 native mammal species made extinct since European settlement, with a hundred more currently listed as threatened. The carnage continues with over half a billion reptiles, birds and mammals estimated to be eaten by foxes each year, in addition to the heavy losses sheep farmers incur with killed lambs. Total eradication is not currently realistic, but we must minimize their impact. Is 1080 the best approach in the varied landscape of the Hawkesbury?

Developed in Australia, 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) is a potent toxin derived from “poison pea” plants of the Gastrolobium genus, mostly found in WA. Odourless and tasteless, it was tested as a potential rodenticide in the 1930s. Our native marsupials, reptiles and birds are naturally resistant to this toxin; quokkas famously can gorge on 1080 baits with no ill effects. However, native species in Eastern Australia are likely to have less natural resistance, with species like Quolls believed to be more susceptible.

As the chosen method in WA, studies have shown that targeted baiting programs can lead to a 95% reduction in fox numbers. Feral cats are less inclined to eat meat baits and are instead targeted with the ingenious Australian designed Felixor traps.

These use a clever camera algorithm to detect cats and squirt the poison onto their coats. The cat then ingests the dose when grooming, and there is virtually zero chance of non-target casualties.

Most agree that poisons are a necessary evil, but having made the decision to kill an animal we have a duty to ensure that the process is humane, and in line with national welfare codes. Unfortunately, death by 1080 is neither quick nor without suffering. The time to death ranges from 2.5 to 80 hours depending on the species, and feral pigs suffer the longest. Prior to death, carnivores poisoned by 1080 alternate from states of extreme hyperactivity, vocalizing and uncoordinatedmovement, to lethargy, recumbency, tremors, convulsions, and respiratory distress.

A trawl though Youtube will offer up countless videos on 1080. It’s confronting viewing. There is no antidote for people or animals accidentally poisoned by it. The distress of dog owners helplessly watching as their beloved pets writhe in front of them is heartbreaking.

There are more humane alternatives, but no silver bullet. PAPP (para-aminopropriophenone) has a completely different mode of action as the affected animal experiences gradual oxygen depletion, usually becoming lethargic, before falling asleep and dying from lack of oxygen to the brain and heart. The process takes one or two hours. The poison also has an antidote, so accidental intake can be reversed if the animal receives treatment in time. However, a range of native fauna are susceptible to PAPP including lace monitors, southern brown bandicoots and spotted-tailed quolls. While ideal for strategic ground baiting programs, it can’t be used for large scale aerial baiting which is cheaper, more practical, and the preferred vehicle for distributing 1080.

Different environments invite varied approaches which may also prevent bait wariness from target species. Alternative control options include predator-proof fencing, shooting, cage traps, padded foot traps, and guardian animals for livestock.

Even so, controlling pest animals for conservation purposes is difficult. A significant reduction in predators is needed to make a real difference for local species, and eradicating a predator like foxes can then lead to population booms in other problematic species, like feral cats. Even identifying the impact of feral predators is challenging. Long-term wildlife surveys provide essential data and monitoring private and public lands is only possible with collective action.

Do you have a fox problem? Signs to look for:

Seen or heard in your area. Camera traps are a powerful tool to reveal what is really going on at night.

Footprints and scats.

Livestock or wildlife kills or damage.

Report sightings to FERALSCAN. Without knowledge action is useless, and knowledge without action is futile.