18 million feral cats around Australia doing damage
ABC Midwest Wheatbelt (Geraldton), Morning, 01/05/2009 11:12am
Panel discussion with Kevin Marshall, wildlife officer, Department of Environment & Conservation, and Dr Harry Butler, former ABC presenter, about feral cats. Marshall says that they are talking about wild cats, as opposed to domesticated cats who have run away. Marshall says that cats were released into the wild in the early 19th century to combat animals such as rabbits and mice, but generated into huge numbers. Butler says that they have managed to control the cat in a number of areas, but it requires a large amount of money and effort. Butler says that despite what Marshall said, it is the cats from the city that reinforce the cats in the wild. Marshall says that there are 18 million cats across Australia, along with 23 million feral pigs. Butler says that they build up in numbers because the dingo and the eagle are they only animals that hunt them. Marshall and Butler discuss hunting feral cats, with Butler saying that often he will clear an area of cats, only to find them back a few years later. Marshall talks about the different animals that they have found in cats stomachs, with Butler adding that feral cats will eat almost anything to survive. Butler says that the only really effective way to eliminate cats is to run an expensive fence around and area and kill the cats inside it. Butler says that he has noticed that most feral cats seem to be a more compact ‘survival size’ than they used to be. Butler thinks that there should be a cat licencing system, where people can get their domestic cats inoculated against cat flu. Butler suggests that cat flu is then released to kill off feral and unlicensed cats. Butler says that creating artificial fenced islands on the main land is the only current way to keep an area cat free.
Interviewee: Kevin Marshall, Wildlife Officer, Department of Environment and Conservation; Dr Harry Butler, Former ABC Presenter.
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