Sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) bait-shyness in a wild brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) population

Bait-shyness was investigated in wild possums by comparing the consumption of diced carrot with consumption of non-toxic cereal bait before and after the population had been poisoned with the same cereal bait containing 0.04% sodium monofluoroacetate (1080).Before poisoning, 64% of the total bait consumed was cereal, whereas after poisoning cereal bait consumption declined to 3-4%.To determine whether any individual component of the cereal bait cues possum avoidance, the consumption of plain cereal bait, cereal bait with green dye, and cereal bait with cinnamon lure were also measured.Possums remained shy of the cereal bait even when the dye and lure were absent.Ways to overcome bait-shyness are discussed in light of these new findings.