In Western Australia, scientists are making crocodiles feel sick in order to save their lives as they test a new baiting system meant to keep them away from toxic cane toads.
The Guardian reported on the method, which involves lacing dead cane toads — whose toxins are strong enough to kill freshwater crocodiles — with a nausea-inducing concoction of lithium chloride, a strong salt. So far, they've seen promising results in a quartet of five-day baiting trials. In all four tests, the crocodiles displayed an aversion to the toads by the fifth day.
Cane toads are invasive to Australia, having arrived there from South America in the 1930s. Since then, they've wiped out local predators such as goannas, snakes, and freshwater crocodiles, according to Phys.org.
The scientists also made some other remarkable discoveries following the baiting trials. For one, no crocs died when cane toads moved into gorge systems following the experiments.
And in a gorge system where the amphibians had already been present for two years, the mortality rate dropped by 95% following baiting.
According to World Animal Protection UK, crocodiles are essential ecosystem managers, regulating the populations of other animals that may otherwise overcrowd and degrade the environment. During the dry season, crocodiles also deter land animals from drinking limited water supplies.
These services help protect clean water supplies and fish for humans, per the organization. Plus, freshwater crocodiles are an important part of Aboriginal Australian culture.
Seven of the world's 23 species of crocodilians are critically endangered, and nearly all are at risk in some part of their range, according to the San Diego Zoo. While freshwater crocodiles are considered Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the presence of cane toads and habitat loss present future threats to the species.
Globally, a number of efforts are underway to protect crocodiles and other animals. For instance, decades of conservation work in Cambodia have yielded promising results for Siamese crocodiles, which were once extinct in the wild — recently, 60 baby crocs hatched in the wild, representing the largest population born in this century. Plus, new "glide poles" on Australia's east coast are helping flying possums cross roadways without getting hit.
Georgia Ward-Fear, a wildlife biologist and lead author of the cane toad baiting research, told The Guardian that the chemical-laced toads were like "a bad late night takeaway," adding, "You remember that taste and you often swear off that food for a very long time, so it's a relatable experience."
"At a time when globalization has massively increased the spread of invasive species, behavioral ecology can protect vulnerable ecosystems," senior author Rick Shine added, per Phys.org.
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