TY - JOUR
T1 - USE of FLUMETHRIN-IMPREGNATED COLLARS to MANAGE AN EPIDEMIC of SARCOPTIC MANGE in AN URBAN POPULATION of ENDANGERED SAN JOAQUIN KIT FOXES (VULPES MACROTIS MUTICA )
AU - Rudd, Jaime L.
AU - Clifford, Deana L.
AU - Cypher, Brian L.
AU - Hull, Joshua M.
AU - Foley, Janet E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Kyle Tabor with the University of California, Davis, helped with capture and handling of study animals and conducted radio telemetry. Diana Grosso, Mia Roberts, Jane Riner, Sadie Trombley, Katy Rush, Kathleen Sholty, Megan O’Connor, and Amanda Dukes of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Andrew DiSalvo with University of California, Davis, Wildlife Health Center all helped with capture and handling of study animals. The Endangered Species Recovery Program’s Tory Westall, Erica Kelly, and Christine Van Horn-Job provided logistical assistance. The California State University, Bakersfield and adjacent facilities including State Farm and Kaiser provided unlimited access to their property and reported kit fox observations. Financial support for this research was provided by Morris Animal Foundation Grant D15ZO-013, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the University of California, Davis. Flumethrin collars were donated by Bayer.
PY - 2020/9/1
Y1 - 2020/9/1
N2 - Sarcoptic mange epidemics can have long-lasting impacts on susceptible wildlife populations, potentially contributing to local population declines and extirpation. Since 2013, there have been 460 reported cases of sarcoptic mange in an urban population of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) in Bakersfield, CA, with many of them resulting in fatality. As part of a multifaceted response to mitigate mange-caused mortalities and reduce this conservation threat, a 2-yr randomized field trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of long-acting flumethrin collars against sarcoptic mange in kit foxes. Thirty-five kit foxes living in a high-density population on a college campus were captured, examined, administered selamectin, and each fox randomly assigned to either receive a flumethrin collar placed within a VHF radio collar or a VHF radio collar without flumethrin. The survival and mange-infestation status of study animals was monitored via radio telemetry, remote cameras, and periodic recapture examinations and compared among treated and control kit foxes using a Cox proportional hazards model. The average time to onset of mange for treated kit foxes (176 days) was similar to controls (171 days) and treatment with flumethrin did not significantly reduce mange risk for all kit foxes. Kit foxes that had a mild mange infestation at the beginning of the study were four times more likely to develop mange again, regardless of flumethrin treatment, compared with kit foxes that had no signs at initial recruitment. This study demonstrates an approach to evaluating population-level protection and contributes to the limited literature on efficacy, safety, and practicality of acaricides in free-ranging wildlife.
AB - Sarcoptic mange epidemics can have long-lasting impacts on susceptible wildlife populations, potentially contributing to local population declines and extirpation. Since 2013, there have been 460 reported cases of sarcoptic mange in an urban population of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica) in Bakersfield, CA, with many of them resulting in fatality. As part of a multifaceted response to mitigate mange-caused mortalities and reduce this conservation threat, a 2-yr randomized field trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of long-acting flumethrin collars against sarcoptic mange in kit foxes. Thirty-five kit foxes living in a high-density population on a college campus were captured, examined, administered selamectin, and each fox randomly assigned to either receive a flumethrin collar placed within a VHF radio collar or a VHF radio collar without flumethrin. The survival and mange-infestation status of study animals was monitored via radio telemetry, remote cameras, and periodic recapture examinations and compared among treated and control kit foxes using a Cox proportional hazards model. The average time to onset of mange for treated kit foxes (176 days) was similar to controls (171 days) and treatment with flumethrin did not significantly reduce mange risk for all kit foxes. Kit foxes that had a mild mange infestation at the beginning of the study were four times more likely to develop mange again, regardless of flumethrin treatment, compared with kit foxes that had no signs at initial recruitment. This study demonstrates an approach to evaluating population-level protection and contributes to the limited literature on efficacy, safety, and practicality of acaricides in free-ranging wildlife.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099417632&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85099417632&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1638/2019-0197
DO - 10.1638/2019-0197
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85099417632
VL - 51
SP - 631
EP - 642
JO - Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
JF - Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
SN - 1042-7260
IS - 3
ER -