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Koalas and Kangaroos: Managing Australia's Charismatic Icons on The UC Agriculture & Natural Resources Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference Title Koalas and Kangaroos: Managing Australia’s Charismatic Icons on the World’s Stage Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2v98b7s3 Journal Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference, 22(22) ISSN 0507-6773 Author Herbert, Catherine A. Publication Date 2006 DOI 10.5070/V422110234 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Koalas and Kangaroos: Managing Australia’s Charismatic Icons on the World’s Stage CatherineA.Herbert KoalaandKangarooContraceptionProgram,SchoolofBiological,Earth&EnvironmentalSciences,Universityof NewSouthWales,Sydney,Australia ABSTRACT :Themanagementofoverabundantnativemammalsisacontentiousissue.InAustralia,thisisexemplifiedbythe managementof kangaroos andkoalas.Theiconicstatusof these species, nationally and internationally, greatlyinfluences the perception of acceptable wildlife management practices. Lethal control techniques now face widespread opposition. This has resulted in research and development of alternative management strategies, with emphasis on potential fertility control agents. AustralianResearchCouncilFundingin2005supportedtheformationofanewinitiative:TheKoalaandKangarooContraception Program.Overthelast7years,ourresearchgrouphasbeentestingtheeffectsofalong-actingcontraceptiveimplant(Suprelorin ®, Peptech Animal Health), containing the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist deslorelin, on kangaroos and koalas. Withinthelastyear,wehavecommencedlarge-scalefieldtrialsontwospecies:koalasonKangarooIsland,SouthAustralia;and tammarwallabiesontheAbrolhosIslands,WesternAustralia.Thesefieldtrialsaimtoevaluatetheefficacyofusinglong-acting contraception to control marsupial populations and will measure the effects of contraception at the individual, population, and environmentallevel.Thisisparalleledbydevelopmentofaremotedeliverysystemthatwillgreatlyenhancetheefficacyofthis formofpopulationmanagement. KEYWORDS :Australia, contraception,deslorelin,fertilitycontrol,GnRHagonist,greykangaroo,koala, Macropus spp., marsupial, Phascolarctoscinereus ,reproduction,tammarwallaby Proc.22 nd Vertebr.PestConf. (R.M.TimmandJ.M.O’Brien,Eds.) PublishedatUniv.ofCalif.,Davis. 2006. Pp.17-22. INTRODUCTION OVERABUNDANTMARSUPIALPOPULATIONS Since the onset of European settlement in Australia, When discussing overabundant populations, it is marsupial populations have fluctuated greatly. The important to remember that the term “overabundant” combinedimpactsofhabitatclearanceandfragmentation; cannotbeclearlydefinedbybiologicalparameters.Itisa introduction of exotic predators, competitors, and value-ladentermthatmeansdifferentthingstodifferent diseases;alteredfireandlandmanagementregimes;and people.Assuch,thefactorsthatcontributetooverabun- huntinghavegenerallyworkedtocauseareductioninthe dantpopulationsmaybetangible(e.g.,alterationstothe range and status of many indigenous marsupial species environment) or intangible (e.g., people’s perceptions, (Maxwell etal .1996).However,attheotherendofthe which may vary over time). In general, the factors scalearesomemarsupialpopulationsthatareconsidered influencingmarsupialoverabundanceinclude: overabundantatalocalorregionallevel.Insomecases 1. Isolationofpopulationsbyhabitatfragmentation/ thesespeciesareclassedassecurethroughouttheirrange fencing (e.g., the large kangaroo species), while in other cases 2. Successofconservationprograms,e.g.,wallabiesin there are geographic and temporal variations in status WA,koalas (e.g.,koalasandsomesmallwallabyspecies). 3. Removal/controlofpredators Themanagementofoverabundantmarsupialpopula- 4. Supplyofadditionalenvironmentalresources tions in Australia presents wildlife managers with 5. Changingperceptions/attitudes numerous challenges. The prevailing socio-political 6. Conflictwithhumans–marsupialsmayonly climate is such that lethal control techniques are often becomeviewedasoverabundant(i.e.,thereisthe deemed unacceptable for these populations (Adderton impetustoactivelymanagethem)whentheyareat Herbert 2004), particularly in the case of koalas oddswithhumans(e.g.,landusage,damageto (Phascolarctos cinereus ). This has resulted in research crops) and development of alternative ways to control The relative importance of these six factors, as they populationsbyreducingthefertilityofanimalswithinthe pertain to kangaroos, wallabies and koalas, are briefly population(fertilitycontrol). discussedbelow,alongwiththemanagementchallenges Theaimsofthispaperareto1)summarisethefactors foreachofthesetaxa. associated with burgeoning marsupial populations, 2) discuss the challenges of managing overabundant Kangaroos marsupials in Australia, 3) outline the effects of a new European settlement has generally had a negative long-acting contraceptive implant (Suprelorin ®) on impact on the smaller macropodids, with severe range marsupials,and4)introduceanewresearchproject:The constrictionsand/orextinctionofspeciesnotuncommon KoalaandKangarooContraceptionProgram(KKCP). (Maxwell etal .1996).Butthelargerkangaroospecies, 17 includingtheredkangaroo( Macropusrufus )andeastern marsupials that were only recently classified as and western grey kangaroos ( M. giganteus and M. threatened,forexample,tammarwallabies( M.eugenii ), fuliginosus ,respectively),arewidespreadacrossAustralia woylies( Bettongiapenicillataogilbyi ),andblack-flanked andappeartohaveflourished.Thesespeciesarebelieved rock-wallabies ( Petrogale lateralis ) (Orell 2004). to have increased in number and range since European Woylies and tammar wallabies were de-listed from the settlement,asaresultofprotectionfrompredationbythe IUCNthreatcategoriesanddown-gradedtoLowerRisk “dingo fence” and provision of watering points and (nearthreatened)in1996and1998respectively(Mawson improvedpastureassociatedwithagriculture(Popleand 2004). Grigg1999). When large kangaroo populations conflict with agriculturalventuresinruralareas,thestategovernment wildlife management agencies will grant permits that allowforthedestructionofkangaroosunderastrictquota system, based on annual population estimations (Pople Northern and Grigg 1999). Culling of these kangaroos must Territory conform to the Code of Practice for the Humane Queensland DestructionofKangaroos(Anon.1994),whichstatesthat kangaroosmustbeshotto“ensureasuddenandpainless Western deathfortargetanimals”. Australia South Kangarooscanalsoreachhighpopulationdensitiesin Australia 1 naturereservesandurbanareas.Inmanyinstances,these NewSouth 5 populationsaredeliberatelyorinadvertentlyconfined,so 2 Wales thatthegrowingpopulationhasnowheretodisperse(for 3 6 16 4 reviewseeCoulson1998,AddertonHerbert2004).The 7 15 8 Victoria use of culling to control populations in these areas 9 14 13 receivesverylittlepublicsupport.Inaddition,theuseof 11 12 high-velocity projectiles tohumanely kill kangaroos via 10 culling would pose a serious human safety issue near urbanareas.Assuch,therehasbeenincreasinginterestin the use of fertility control to manage urban kangaroo Figure1.Thelocationofsomeoverabundantmarsupial populations(Nave etal .2002 b;Herbert etal .2004,2005, populationsinAustralia:circle,koalapopulations; 2006). A good example of this is the management of square,kangaroopopulations;triangle,wallaby populations.Detailsofthespecificpopulationscanbe kangaroos on a housing development site in Western foundinTable1.Thepopulationspresentedarethose Sydney. Approximately 600 ha of the 1,545-ha site, wherefertilitycontroltechnologymayberelevantto containing2,275-3,200easterngreyand248-448red management. kangaroos, is scheduled for development over the next decade. The kangaroo density needs to be reduced to account for the progressive loss of habitat, particularly Table1.Locationofmarsupialpopulationspresentedin feeding areas, as the development progresses and to Figure1. ensurekangaroosdonotdamageathreatenedecological Wallabies Koalas Kangaroos communityonthesite.Cullingwasinitiallyproposedto A 14.Outer 1.NorthIs. 7.KangarooIs. reduce the population (ERM 2003), but widespread Melbourne public and political opposition has resulted in the B 8.TowerHillWildlife 15.Canberra 2.RottnestIs. development of an adaptive management plan focusing Reserve (ACT) predominantlyontheuseoffertilitycontroltoreducethe 3.GardenIs. A 9.MtEcclesNP 16.StMarys population density. Fertility control will involve both 4.PerupForest A 10.Framlingham ® contraception (Suprelroin implants, discussed in more 5.Mt.CarolineNR C 11.FrenchIs.NP detail below) and surgical sterilization (tubal ligation or 6.TutanningNR A 12.SnakeIs. ovariectomy) of females (Cumberland Ecology 2004). 7.KangarooIs. A 13.RaymondIs. The location of this and other peri-urban sites with Atammarwallaby,Bquokka,Cblack-flankedrockwallaby overabundantkangaroopopulationsisshowninFigure1, withaccompanyinglocationsnotedinTable1. Thedramaticincreaseinpopulationsizeandrangeof various wallaby species has created some issues of Wallabies overabundance at a local scale. For example, tammar Over the last decade, a new marsupial management wallaby populations at Tutanning Nature Reserve and challenge has emerged– the management of macropod Perup Forest (for locations see Figure 1, Table 1) have populations recovering after the reduction of introduced increaseddramatically,causingdamagetocerealcropson predators. Western Australia (W.A.) has made a adjacent land (Mawson 2004). Wide-scale habitat significantinvestmentinfoxcontrolundertakenaspartof fragmentation in these areas means that the increasing
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