Can predator avoidance training improve reintroduction outcomes for the greater bilby in arid Australia?

Abstract

Many threatened species’ reintroductions in Australia fail because of predation by introduced cats and foxes. We attempted to improve reintroduction outcomes by training greater bilbies, Macrotis lagotis, to recognize cats as predators. The movement and behaviour of trained and control bilbies were compared in both a predator-free environment and in an area where cats and foxes were present. Trained bilbies within the predator-free environment moved significantly further, used more burrows with more entrances and changed burrows more frequently than untrained control animals. Trained bilbies also moved burrows when presented with olfactory predator stimuli while control bilbies did not. However, when bilbies were reintroduced to an area where predators were present, there was no difference in survival, movement or burrow use between trained and control bilbies. Both groups exhibited high survival rates in the first 6 months after release. In the presence of predators, both trained and control bilbies appeared to be more predator-aware possibly because of control bilbies learning from trained conspecifics or cohabiting rabbits or through inadvertent contamination of control animals during training. Results suggest that bilbies can be taught to recognize exotic predators but this may not necessarily translate into improved reintroduction success in the wild. Further investigation into cultural and filial transfer of antipredator behaviour is recommended.