WIRES understands the Google translation of our website may not be perfect. Her research interests include viral and bacterial diseases in Australian marsupials (particularly macropods and koalas) and studies of macropodid herpesviruses, including their molecular pathogenesis and interaction with the immune systems of infected animals.
Her research interests include assessing the humaneness of invasive animal control methods; developing standard operating procedures and codes 抓蛇 of practice for the humane control of invasive animals; and developing strategies to improve the welfare of commercially harvested kangaroos.

This began with organising a seminar and workshop to develop a national strategy, and has continued with the publication of a discussion paper on the topic, promotion of principles for humane vertebrate pest control and the development and implementation of the humaneness model.
It has been argued that setting the performance criteria for killing traps is easier than setting performance criteria for restraining traps, because time to insensibility and death are relatively easy to define objectively compared with the injury, pain, anxiety and stress that may be experienced by restrained animals (Powell and Proulx 2003).

With a focus and concern on Threatened Species recovery of Bush Stone-curlew, Mallee fowl and Plains-wanderer ground nesting birds, by way of strategic fox control programs as well as the reduction of large vertebrate pest animals through FAAST Aerial control programs and working with a skilled PCO Jim Balnaves on supporting lateral fencing program to exclude feral goats from conservation areas.
Discussions on how the model should be used were also undertaken at the workshop with the majority of stakeholders expressing their support for its application to currently used control methods (those for which Standard Operating Procedures had been written).
It is very common in Melbourne, Florida for Centurian Wildlife Control to have frequent squirrel removal calls in the spring and fall, mating season for squirrels, but because of the usually warm weather Melbourne has, squirrels can create problems for homeowners at any time of the year.

Based on an assessment of the available and relevant literature it is recommended that a model for the relative assessment of humaneness be formulated from Mellor and Reid's (1994) system for predicting the impact of procedures of experimental animals.
He commenced his research career at Glen Innes in northern NSW where his initial research subjects were the impacts and control of flying foxes in stonefruit crops, damage to sunflower crops by Australian parrots, and the impacts and management of wild dogs and red foxes.

In a review of trapping methods used in Europe and North America, the welfare performance of killing traps was evaluated using the additional criteria of likelihood of escape of injured animals, percentage of mis-strikes, trap selectivity, as well as time to unconsciousness (Iossa et al. 2007).
When assessing the impact of a control method in each of the domains we have to assume that the method is being carried out according to ‘best practice' as set out in relevant codes of practice and standard operating procedures (e.g. Codes of Practice and Standard Operating Procedures for the Humane Control of Pest Animals).

Information from such a system could be used to assist decision makers in the development, planning and implementation stages of pest animal control programs along with other factors such as efficacy, cost-effectiveness, practicality, target specificity and operator safety.