Pat Taggart – The Conversation

Bee Stephens

February 3, 2025

Poison baits were used on 1,400 feral cats, foxes and dingoes. We studied their fate to see what works

Pat Taggart, University of Adelaide; Daniel Noble, Australian National University, and Yong Zhi Foo, The University of Western Australia

Feral cats, foxes and dingoes are routinely baited to protect wildlife and livestock. But does it matter what kind of bait is used? Do cats ignore it?

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February 24, 2022

Releasing a virus against rabbits is effective, but can make them immune if let loose at the wrong time

Pat Taggart, UNSW

New research finds 74% of land managers who reported releasing a powerful biocontrol release it during the peak rabbit breeding period. This can lead to rabbit populations actually increasing.

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October 21, 2021

Don’t underestimate rabbits: these powerful pests threaten more native wildlife than cats or foxes

Pat Taggart, UNSW and Brian Cooke, University of Canberra

Rabbits destroy huge numbers of critical regenerating seedlings over more than half the continent. This has devastating flow-on effects for the rest of the ecosystem. So how do we control them?

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October 15, 2020

Cats carry diseases that can be deadly to humans, and it’s costing Australia $6 billion every year

Sarah Legge, Australian National University; Chris Dickman, University of Sydney; Jaana Dielenberg, The University of Queensland; John Read, University of Adelaide; John Woinarski, Charles Darwin University; Pat Taggart, University of Adelaide, and Tida Nou, The University of Queensland

When cats were introduced to Australia, they brought several diseases with them. These diseases are taking a big toll on human health and the economy — but there are things we can do.

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