New data has revealed that every day, feral cats take on average 3.1 million mammals, 1.1 million birds and 1.8 million reptiles around Australia.
To help agricultural and environmental land managers address the growing threat posed by feral cats, a new guide has been developed to support the control of feral cat populations.
The Glovebox Guide for the Management of Feral Cats was developed by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions with funding provided from the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment and the South Australian Northern and Yorke Landscape Board through funding from the National Landcare Program.
Since 2014, more than $32 million in Australian Government funding has been mobilised for projects that have a primary focus on supporting practical, action-based research to reduce the impacts of feral cats.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment, feral cats threaten the survival of native species and their impact on the environment has only increased in the wake of the 2019/20 Black Summer Bushfires.
Recent research from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program has also found that feral cats transmit diseases to other animals including livestock, costing the agricultural industry up to $12 million each year.
Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Sally Box said she welcomed the release of the Glovebox Guide.
“Every year cats have a huge impact on Australian native animals,” Dr Box said.
“Mitigating the threat of invasive species, such as feral cats, needs innovative and technical solutions that can be used at scale.
“It also involves supporting the efforts of private landholders, leaseholders and volunteers to manage invasive species on their lands to achieve positive outcomes for biodiversity conservation and primary production.”
The guide is the latest in the series of Pest Management Glovebox Guides, which includes the management of species such as feral pigs, foxes, and rabbits.
The Glovebox Guide for Managing Feral Cats and other pest animal management guides are available in both electronic and hardcopy form.
To download or order visit https://pestsmart.org.au/pest-animals/glovebox-guides-order-form/
