Protecting endangered species often involves devising humane and effective pest
control methods. There are a number of species of animals that were introduced
into Australia long ago that directly attack or damage the habitat of our native
animals. These include cats, dogs, foxes, pigs, rabbits and rats. Animal-based
scientists contribute to controlling their numbers, for example, by working out
which traps or poisons cause the least suffering, and how to avoid killing non-target
animals.
