# Australians killing millions of feral cats



## longknife

_A 2017 study published in the journal Biological Conservation found that cats in Australia are estimated to kill 377 million birds and 649 reptiles every year, the Independent reported. _

*Before everyone gets their britches in an uproar, this is a problem found throughout the world. Humans bring species to areas where they become a serious thread to the local fauna. Islands are particularly susceptible and cats seem to be the most serious threat. Here in the USA, wild hogs are an example; another species brought from Europe. That and huge snakes in our southern swamps.*

“_Feral cats are a nationally significant pest that threaten our unique native fauna. While recognizing the important role of domestic cats as companion animals, domestic and stray cats may also threaten native fauna,” the Australian National Declaration said, in part._

‘_Ministers also agreed that the management of feral cats will be considered a priority in threatened species recovery programs,” the declaration added._

More @ Australian officials killing millions of feral cats with poisoned sausages


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## Litwin

longknife said:


> _A 2017 study published in the journal Biological Conservation found that cats in Australia are estimated to kill 377 million birds and 649 reptiles every year, the Independent reported. _
> 
> *Before everyone gets their britches in an uproar, this is a problem found throughout the world. Humans bring species to areas where they become a serious thread to the local fauna. Islands are particularly susceptible and cats seem to be the most serious threat. Here in the USA, wild hogs are an example; another species brought from Europe. That and huge snakes in our southern swamps.*
> 
> “_Feral cats are a nationally significant pest that threaten our unique native fauna. While recognizing the important role of domestic cats as companion animals, domestic and stray cats may also threaten native fauna,” the Australian National Declaration said, in part._
> 
> ‘_Ministers also agreed that the management of feral cats will be considered a priority in threatened species recovery programs,” the declaration added._
> 
> More @ Australian officials killing millions of feral cats with poisoned sausages


the  next step reintroduction of T - devil and Comodo  dragon


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## Litwin




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## Blues Man

Cats are a non-native invasive species in Australia.

The havoc they wreak on indigenous wildlife has brought several species of birds and small mammals to extinction or endangered status.

So don't get your knickers in a twist over the Australians attempting to save their native wildlife from a foreign invasive species


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## pismoe

Same problem with Rabbits as an invasive species isn't it ??


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## Litwin

pismoe said:


> Same problem with Rabbits as an invasive species isn't it ??


it fixed already


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## Crixus

Blues Man said:


> Cats are a non-native invasive species in Australia.
> 
> The havoc they wreak on indigenous wildlife has brought several species of birds and small mammals to extinction or endangered status.
> 
> So don't get your knickers in a twist over the Australians attempting to save their native wildlife from a foreign invasive species




Same here. There are places where you dont hear any song birds because of the feral cats. I hate them.


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## ThirdTerm

Australia's commitment to killing 2 million feral cats to protect its native wildlife may be unnecessary.  The population size of feral cats in natural environments in Australia fluctuates between 1.4 and 5.6 million, depending on rainfall. There may actually be less than 2 million feral cats in Australia.




I don't think feral cats can actually survive in the wild in Australia, where natural conditions are too harsh for their survival. In 30 years' time winter will be non-existent in Australia apart from a few places in Tasmania, which would reduce the feral cat population naturally. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy's claim that feral cats in Australia kill about 316 million birds and 596 million reptiles annually is based on shaky science. The far-left environmentalists are pushing their agenda with exaggerated figures.



> The Australian Government's 5‐year Threatened Species Strategy contains four priority action areas and associated targets. Here, we argue that the well‐publicized target to cull 2 million feral cats has a weak scientific basis because: (1) reliable estimates of Australia's cat population size did not exist when the target was set; (2) it is extremely difficult to measure progress (numbers of cats killed) in an accurate, reliable way; and, most importantly, (3) the cull target is not explicitly linked to direct conservation outcomes (e.g., measured increases in threatened species populations). These limitations mean that the cull target fails to meet what would be considered best practice for pest management. The focus on killing cats runs the risk of distracting attention away from other threats to biodiversity, most prominent of which is widespread, ongoing habitat loss, which has been largely overlooked in the Threatened Species Strategy. The culling target is a highly visible symbol of a broader campaign around feral cat research and management in Australia, rather than a direct indicator of conservation action and success. We are concerned that progress toward the 2 million target could be misinterpreted as progress toward conserving threatened species, when the link between the two is not clear.
> https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12633


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## AlistairB

Cats are super cute though


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## gtopa1

AlistairB said:


> Cats are super cute though



Only my kids' cats (2 in total). The rest are just vermin. 

Greg


ThirdTerm said:


> Australia's commitment to killing 2 million feral cats to protect its native wildlife may be unnecessary.  The population size of feral cats in natural environments in Australia fluctuates between 1.4 and 5.6 million, depending on rainfall. There may actually be less than 2 million feral cats in Australia.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think feral cats can actually survive in the wild in Australia, where natural conditions are too harsh for their survival. In 30 years' time winter will be non-existent in Australia apart from a few places in Tasmania, which would reduce the feral cat population naturally. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy's claim that feral cats in Australia kill about 316 million birds and 596 million reptiles annually is based on shaky science. The far-left environmentalists are pushing their agenda with exaggerated figures.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Australian Government's 5‐year Threatened Species Strategy contains four priority action areas and associated targets. Here, we argue that the well‐publicized target to cull 2 million feral cats has a weak scientific basis because: (1) reliable estimates of Australia's cat population size did not exist when the target was set; (2) it is extremely difficult to measure progress (numbers of cats killed) in an accurate, reliable way; and, most importantly, (3) the cull target is not explicitly linked to direct conservation outcomes (e.g., measured increases in threatened species populations). These limitations mean that the cull target fails to meet what would be considered best practice for pest management. The focus on killing cats runs the risk of distracting attention away from other threats to biodiversity, most prominent of which is widespread, ongoing habitat loss, which has been largely overlooked in the Threatened Species Strategy. The culling target is a highly visible symbol of a broader campaign around feral cat research and management in Australia, rather than a direct indicator of conservation action and success. We are concerned that progress toward the 2 million target could be misinterpreted as progress toward conserving threatened species, when the link between the two is not clear.
> Error - Cookies Turned Off
Click to expand...


They have few natural predators here so they breed rapidly with high survival rates. What suffer are our birds and marsupials. 

Greg


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## sparky

~S~


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## hjmick

Blues Man said:


> Cats are a non-native invasive species in Australia.
> 
> The havoc they wreak on indigenous wildlife has brought several species of birds and small mammals to extinction or endangered status.
> 
> So don't get your knickers in a twist over the Australians attempting to save their native wildlife from a foreign invasive species




The same is true in the U.S.


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## fncceo




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## Blues Man

hjmick said:


> Blues Man said:
> 
> 
> 
> Cats are a non-native invasive species in Australia.
> 
> The havoc they wreak on indigenous wildlife has brought several species of birds and small mammals to extinction or endangered status.
> 
> So don't get your knickers in a twist over the Australians attempting to save their native wildlife from a foreign invasive species
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The same is true in the U.S.
Click to expand...

not to anywhere near the sane extent and they don't cause the damage here that they do in OZ


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## Tijn Von Ingersleben

They should just feed them to the 2 Million chinks they are allowing to emigrate into their once white nation.


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