Development of re-setting toxin delivery
devices for stoats and rats
Elaine Murphy; Tim Sjoberg; Peter Dilks;
Arijana Barun; Des Smith; Paul Aylett;
Duncan MacMorran; Charles Eason
New Zealand
• The endemic fauna of NZ evolved in
the absence of mammalian predators –
their arrival devastating
• 40% land bird spp gone
• Of the remainder, proportion classed
as threatened one of the highest in the
world
• Introduced rats & stoats major cause
Resetting devices would be a good
addition to toolkit!
Specifications
– Long-life (12 month service interval)
– Species specific
– Capable 100 kills
– Incorporate novel toxins
– Data logging capability (number fires)
– Cost-effective vs. current methods
Spitfire Development
• Spitfires: 5 years of development
• Animal triggers Spitfire - 800 mg toxin
squirted onto belly, which is ingested by
grooming
• Proof of concept trials on stoats in 2009
with PAPP
• Same internal components can have
different triggers, housing & toxins
depending on species (eg. stoats, rats,
ferrets, feral cats, possums)
Animal
enters
tunnel
Toxin
sprayed
on
abdomen
Toxin is
licked &
ingested
Proof of performance for stoats


65 spitfires
400 ha
Stoat Spitfire field trial
Blue Mountains stoat tracking tunnels
% Tunnels tracked stoats
100
80
60
40
20
0
Aug
Nov
Feb-13
Jun
Aug
Nov
Dec
Feb-14
Spitfires deployed
Spitfires
Control
2013
•
Spitfires triggered 11
times 26 Nov – 14 Dec
•
Tracking tunnels set
16th Dec
Stoat shots – trail cameras
Camera No.
1_1
1_2
1_3
1_4
1_5
1_6
1_7
1_8
1_9
1_10
1_11
1_12
1_13
1_14
2_1
2_2
2_3
2_4
2_5
2_6
2_7
2_8
2_9
2_10
2_11
2_12
2_13
2_14
3_1
3_2
3_3
3_4
3_5
3_6
3_7
3_8
3_9
3_10
3_11
3_12
3_13
3_14
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
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0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
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0
0
1
0
0
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0
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0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
x
0
0
0
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0
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0
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0
0
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8
0
0
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1
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0
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
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0
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0
0
0
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0
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0
0
10
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0
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0
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0
12
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
13
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
17
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
0
19
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0
1
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
21
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
23
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
25
x
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0
0
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1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
27
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
29
x
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0
0
0
1
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0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
31
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
33
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
35
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
37
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
38
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
40
x
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x
x
x
x
x
x
x
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x
x
x
x
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
42
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
44
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
46
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
48
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
51
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
52
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
54
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
56
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
58
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
59
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
62
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
65
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
• 8 Oct – 21 Oct: 21/27 cameras recorded stoats (87 shots)
• 26 Nov – 9 Dec: 15/33 cameras recorded stoats (27 shots)
• 14 Dec – 27 Dec: 8/31 cameras recorded stoats (12 shots)
What toxin for rats?
• Spitfires squirt 800mg, assume rat ingests
500mg
• PAPP not lethal enough
Rat Spitfire lab trials
0.55% 1080
• 15/15 wild Norway rats died
• 14/15 ship rats died
12.5% Zinc Phosphide
• 17/20 wild Norway rats died
• 8/8 ship rats died
Methods - stoats
• Stoats had been in captivity c. year
• Females hadn’t mated, so stayed in
oestrus over summer
Stoat lure trials: Nov-Feb
Stoat oestrus urine +scat lure trials
100
% Interaction time
80
60
Oestrus urine & scat
40
Control
20
0
F
F
F
F
M
M
M
M
Stoats
Stoat oestrus bedding lure trial
100
% Interaction time
80
60
Oestrus bedding
40
Control
20
0
F
F
F
F
M
Stoats
M
M
M
Stoat lure trials: Mar-Aug
Stoat oestrus bedding lure trial
100
% Interaction time
80
60
Oestrus bedding
40
Control
20
0
F
F
F
F
F
F
M
Stoats
M
M
M
M
M
M
24 hr volatile collection from bedding –
Andrew Twidle
Overlaid Chromatogram Plots
kCounts
RIC 1 Stoat Fem Conc 24h_.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
RIC 1 Stoat Male conc 24h.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
RIC 1 24h bedding cntrl_.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
10
20
Red trace = Female bedding
Green trace = male bedding
Brown trace = control bedding
30
40
50
minutes
Analysis of volatiles – Andrew Twidle
Zoom in of chromatogram – one
female unique compound (red trace)
Overlaid Chromatogram Plots
Ion search and identification of
unique compound in female vs male
Chromatogram Plots
kCounts
RIC 1 Stoat Fem Conc 24h_.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
RIC 1 Stoat Male conc 24h.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
RIC 1 24h bedding cntrl_.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
90
kCounts
Ions: 169.0+72.0 1 Stoat Fem Conc 24h_.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
3.0
2.5
80
2.0
1.5
70
Aliphatic
ketone
Female
1.0
0.5
60
0.0
kCounts
Ions: 169.0+72.0 1 Stoat Male conc 24h.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
3.0
50
2.5
40
2.0
1.5
30
1.0
None
present
Male
0.5
20
0.0
29
30
31
32
33
34
minutes
28
29
30
31
minutes
Plans for 2015
Spitfires:
• Rat 1080 Spitfire field trial
• Continue development of feral cat &
multi-species Spitfire
Lures:
• Solid phase micro extraction (SPME)
gas chromatographic analysis
• GCMS profiles
• Cheap long-life liquid lure!
Overlaid Chromatogram Plots
kCounts
RIC 1 Stoat Fem Conc 24h_.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
RIC 1 Stoat Male conc 24h.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
RIC 1 24h bedding cntrl_.SMS 2000 CENTROID RAW
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
29
30
31
32
33
34
minutes
Partners and Collaborators
16