Putting PAPPutty on a leg trap.

A NEW welfare-positive lethal trap device to improve wild dog and fox control has been launched.

PAPPutty is a new toxic paste that is applied to cloth wraps on one jaw of a foot-hold trap to target and manage wild dogs and foxes.

Once caught, wild dogs and foxes tend to bite at the trap and ingest the toxin in the cloth. PAPP or para-aminopropiophenone stops oxygen binding to haemoglobin causing the animal to become unconscious and die.

Centre for Invasive Species Solutions chief executive officer Andreas Glanznig said PAPPutty is “a welfare positive addition to the land manager’s toolkit.”

“With foxes responsible for up to 30 percent of lamb losses and wild dogs a risk to at least 14 endangered or vulnerable native species, PAPPutty offers an environmentally responsible tool to protect our native environment from destruction by introduced predators,” he said.

The product was developed by the centre in collaboration with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Connovation in New Zealand, and Animal Control Technologies Australia, to reduce the suffering of trapped dogs and foxes, and avoid the decimation of native and endangered species by the predators.

“To tackle this threat, a collective effort from government, researchers, industry, community groups, landholders and organisations such as our own to implement best-practice management strategies using every tool available, including PAPPutty, is required,” Mr Glanznig said.

NSW DPI senior research scientist Dr Paul Meek conducted large field trials to test PAPPutty that showed that the paste wrapped in cloth attached to the trap jaw resulted in more than 85pc of captured dogs accessing the toxin and dying.

“PAPPutty provides a more humane alternative to strychnine when using foot-hold traps and is another arrow in the quiver when controlling wild dog and fox populations, helping land managers protect native species and ensure the welfare of their livestock,” he said.

“Like any form of lethal control, its use is highly regulated and comes with strict conditions, such as notifying neighbours 72 hours before traps are put in the ground and putting up signage to alert visitors that PAPPutty is being used on the property, to ensure it is used correctly and safely.”

A veterinary-only antidote is available for domestic dogs who may have ingested PAPP. Immediate veterinary care should be sought for domestic dogs that are suspected of accidentally ingesting PAPP.

PAPPutty is manufactured and distributed in Australia by ACTA and guides for the use of the product can be accessed here –  PAPPutty Lethal Paste for Wild Canids — animal control technologies