Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre discusses feral cat issue
ABC Central Australia Alice Springs. Outback NT Rural Report. 25 Sep 2009 06:17AM
Penelope Bergen interviews Tony Peacock, CEO, Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre about feral cats. Peacock says there is good evidence that cats didn’t arrive before white settlement, and negates the theories which say otherwise. Peacock agrees they are involved in some extinctions, and says fire in northern Australia has improved the hunting conditions for cats, putting native mammals under enormous pressure. He talks about the reason for cat numbers in CA. Peacock talks about Sydney University research, which suggests that cats need to be controlled at farm and town dumps. He says he doesn’t mind people eating feral cats, but says he would rather they weren’t there. Peacock argues they shouldn’t just accept cats in the environment, and not try to control them. He says they will never eradicate them, but says they can be cleared from islands and sanctuaries. He suggests people have a moral responsibility to control them.
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