Evaluation of olfactory and visual cues to deter southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) from their burrows

Abstract

Human–wildlife conflicts threaten a huge diversity of species and affect the livelihoods of millions of people. There is an increasing need to develop management strategies that meet the needs of humans and wildlife. A variety of conflict mitigation measures are available, but for many species like the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) their effectiveness has not been scientifically tested. Deterrents could provide a cost effective and efficient means of reducing wombat damage to agriculture. Anecdotal accounts suggest that ‘Blood & Bone’ (a plant fertiliser) and compact discs may deter wombats. This study aimed to assess their effectiveness in deterring free-living wombats from burrows on agricultural land using remote cameras to monitor changes in activity and behaviour before and after treatment application. Mixed-effects models revealed a significant decrease in the number of visits to burrows following the application of compact discs (P<0.01). ‘Blood & Bone’ did not deter wombats from burrows (P=0.81), but increased exploratory behaviour (P=0.01) and decreased travelling behaviour (P=0.05) were observed. This suggests that visual cues may be more effective in deterring wombats from burrows than olfactory cues, possibly because they are more easily detected from further away.