Baits are used to deliver lethal or other substances in wildlife management programs across the globe. Successful baiting campaigns are contingent upon the availability of baits to target animals. Bait density is often increased in an attempt to improve bait encounter probabilities. However, this comes with a concomitant increase in cost and may result in significant bait wastage if deployed in areas of low target species activity.

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and cost of different bait transect methods in intersecting home and core ranges of feral pigs as a case study to determine optimal spacing and placement of baiting transects.

The authors simulated a variety of systematically spaced aerial transects, watercourse-aligned aerial transects and ground transects along property boundaries and farm tracks, and compared them with home and core ranges of feral pigs, at two study sites in Queensland, Australia. Transect effectiveness at intersecting pig ranges was determined through beta-regression and estimated marginal means (emmeans); efficiency was considered as emmeans per unit of transect length.

The study found that systematically spaced aerial transects at 4 km intervals were the most efficient means of intersecting both home and core ranges of feral pigs. Additionally, no alternate transect method, either aerial or ground, provided significantly greater effectiveness at intersecting feral pig home and core ranges at these study sites. Ground transects along farm tracks and property boundaries were also between 113% and 192% more expensive than aerial transects at 4 km spaced intervals for either fixed-wing or rotary aircraft.

Systematically spaced aerial transects at 4 km intervals are among the most effective and are the most efficient means of intersecting feral pig ranges at the study sites examined.

Our methodology offers a blueprint for both vaccination and toxin baiting programs to assess and compare bait transect placements. More specifically for feral pig control, aerial transects with 4 km systematic spacing provide an effective and efficient means for intersecting feral pig ranges. Furthermore, additional data on bait encounter and interaction probabilities are required to determine transect effectiveness at bait uptake by the target species.

在全球野生动物管理计划中，诱饵被用来输送致命物质或其他物质。成功的诱饵活动取决于目标动物是否有诱饵。为了提高遇到诱饵的概率，通常会增加诱饵密度。然而，这会伴随着成本的增加，并且如果部署在目标物种活动低的地区，可能会导致大量的诱饵浪费。

本研究的目的是评估不同诱饵横断面方法在交叉野猪的家庭和核心范围中的有效性、效率和成本，作为案例研究，以确定诱饵横断面的最佳间距和位置。

作者模拟了沿着地产边界和农场轨道的各种系统间隔的空中横断面、与水道对齐的空中横断面和地面横断面，并将它们与澳大利亚昆士兰州两个研究地点的野猪的家庭和核心范围进行了比较。通过 beta 回归和估计边际平均值 (emmeans) 确定交叉猪群的横断面有效性；效率被认为是每单位样线长度的 emmeans。

研究发现，以 4 公里的间隔系统地设置空中横断面是横穿野猪的栖息地和核心范围的最有效方法。此外，无论是空中还是地面，没有任何替代样线方法能够在这些研究地点的野猪栖息地和核心范围相交方面提供显着更大的有效性。对于固定翼或旋翼飞机，沿农场轨道和财产边界的地面横断面也比间隔 4 公里的空中横断面贵 113% 至 192%。

以 4 公里为间隔的系统性空中横断面是最有效的方法之一，也是在研究地点交叉野猪范围的最有效方法。

我们的方法为疫苗接种和毒素诱饵计划提供了蓝图，以评估和比较诱饵横断面的放置。更具体地说，对于野猪控制，系统间距为 4 公里的空中横断面为交叉野猪范围提供了有效且高效的手段。此外，需要有关诱饵遭遇和相互作用概率的额外数据来确定目标物种吸收诱饵的横断面有效性。