Unique study shows we can train wild predators to hunt alien species they’ve never seen before

Sat, 2 Sep 2023 11:36:03 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/unique-study-shows-we-can-train-wild-predators-to-hunt-alien-species-theyve-never-seen-before-210644>

"Humans have trained domestic animals for thousands of years, to help with
farming, transport, or hunting.

But can we train wild animals to help us in conservation work? Wild animals can
be taught to recognise dangerous predators, avoid toxic food, and stay away
from people.

However, there are few examples of using classical learning techniques to train
free-living animals to act in a way that benefits their ecosystem. In our newly
published study in Biological Conservation, we trained wild Australian native
predatory rats to recognise an unfamiliar species of cockroach prey. It worked
– in a simulated cockroach invasion, this training increased predation rates by
the rats."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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