Animal welfare
Information on the CRC's animal welfare policy and commitment to
national codes of practise can be viewed by clicking here.
For information on attitudes to animal welfare, and links to
further information, click
here.
The IA CRC has also contributed to the development of codes of
practice and standard operating procedures for humane pest
control. Read more about this or download the COPs in
the About Us/policy section of this website - click [ here].
Infertility research
We are often asked about the potential for vaccines or oral
delivery systems which cause infertility to be used as an
alternative to lethal control. This type of research is
ongoing, but is very expensive and time-consuming.
The 'nirvana' is for a gene-modification strategy to be
developed which would then be passed on through a population by a
virus. This methodology is called 'virally-vectored
immuno-contraception'. This technology is inherently
complicated. Any genetic technology development is
stringently regulated. Lengthy testing is required to ensure
it is specific to the target animal and the methodology would be
long-lasting and efficient once released into the wild
populations.
In rodents, scientists were able to induce infertility in mice,
but transmission rate of the virus to other mice was not high
enough to be useful in wild populations. A similar
approach was tried for rabbits, but in this case the infertility
achieved was too short lived. The research that would
be needed to determine a solution to these problems would be likely
to run into many years and be prohibitively
expensive. At present, this type of infertility
research has been put on hold.
An alternative (non genetic) approach is now being taken.
IA CRC researchers at CSIRO are testing an infertility vaccine for
large mammals. The Gonacon™ vaccine has been developed
in the United States and successfully tested in deer. It is
also being researched by the USDA for further application in many
other pest species from ground squirrels to elk and looks very
promising. Trials have shown that in some species
infertility can be induced for up to four years, and as the project
extends this time frame may increase.
Here in Australia it has potential for use in kangaroos, camels,
wild horses, donkeys and goats. However, simply distributing
this chemical infertility vaccine in baits (broadscale) is not
presently feasible. This is because many other herbivores are
likely to find such baits palatable. For example, a baiting
program to target over-abundant Eastern Grey Kangaroos would likely
affect not only sheep and cattle, but also other wallabies and
small native mammals that we would not want to sterilise.
At present, each each individual animal must therefore be
captured and injected manually by skilled personnel.
Unless we can develop suitable means of delivering this vaccine on
a broader scale, there will be an ongoing and relatively high cost
associated with this type of technology.
Read our [ media release]
on Gonacon™ and deer research.
