Australia has declared war on cats. The government aims to cull two million feral felines by 2020 as part of an effort to protect its indigenous animals.
Cats were first introduced to Australia by European settlers at the beginning of the 19th century, but it took about a century for the feral cat infestation to grow to the point where it garnered national media attention. While current population estimates vary between six and 20 million, there is no dispute about the pervasive threat to Australia’s native species.
Gregory Andrews, Australia’s Threatened Species commissioner, penned an open letter detailing the nature of the problem back in 2015, noting that feral cats “… [endangered] at least 124 of Australia’s threatened species, which is more than one third of our threatened mammals, reptiles, birds, and frogs.”
Each feral cat kills up to 1,000 indigenous animals annually, specifically contributing to the declining populations of the bilby, bandicoot, bettong, and numbat. While their prey range from insects and lizards to small mammals, some feral cats develop a taste for larger prey. Recently, park rangers found a 14-pound feral cat with an 11-pound warru (a rock wallaby) in its stomach.
Feral cats are notorious for being hard to capture or kill because of their hunting skills that make them so deadly to prey. The predator’s speed and stealth make for a difficult adversary.
The Australian government has appropriated $5 million in funding for the culling effort, promising help to communities that answer its call to action. These are expected to be announced in March, and will encourage free euthanasia. The cull will be focused in rural areas, particularly in South Australia, where the cats pose the greatest threat to wildlife.
While arguably the most persistent threat, feral cats are far from the only invasive species in Australia. Because of its geographic isolation and history of European settlers, the country is home to some of the worst infestations on the planet.
—RealClearLife
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