Since the endangered Australian quolls often die by preying on toxic cane toads, they are being trained to avoid them, scientists have revealed.
The invasive species of cane toads, now more than 200 million in number, cause significant decline in Australia's native predators. To save the remaining native cats, the government initiated a program that would train the quolls to become "toad smart" and refrain from consuming the toads.
The repopulation program, which will last for three years, will release 30 trained quolls in the southern Kakadu's Mary River district. To teach the furry marsupials to avoid the toads, they were constantly exposed to food mixed with nauseous chemicals and toad skins.
The said project is a follow-up to a 2010 experiment that showed that toad-smart female quolls have survived, reproduced, and their offspring have also learned to avoid eating toads. As a result, the quoll population increased by up to five times. The scientists are enthusiastic that the program would contribute to conservation of Australia's small mammals.
Sally Barnes, director of the National Parks, said the program can only be done once because the new generation can learn to avoid the toads from their parents. The research showed that toad smart quolls can be re-established after an invasion of toxic cane toads.
Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews said the Aus$750,000 (US$585,000) project also aims to build the marsupial population in Kakadu as feral cats are also threatening the quoll population.
"Quolls are an iconic carnivorous Australian marsupial and an incredibly important part of our ecosystem," Andrews said. "By teaching the quolls not to eat cane toads and making Kakadu safe for them from feral cats, we can ensure their survival in this important world heritage-listed area."
This is not the first time Australian scientists have found ways to conserve their native marsupials, as their number continues to decline in recent years. In October 2015, a team of scientists have found that systematically killing koalas help curb the spread of chlamydia to other marsupials. A past study also identified Dusky antechinus engage in mating sessions that eventually kill them.
