Australia’s growing cat-astrophe: Feral felines are wiping out dozens of nearly extinct species and kill 377million birds a year
- Feral cats are one of the biggest culprits of Australian species becoming extinct
- Scientists say Australian feral cats four times more more than America’s cats
- If the trend continues, Australia’s soil will become infertile and unproductive
Feral cats are wiping out endangered species.
Researchers from leading Australian universities revealed that feral cats ‘binge on’ a range of near-extinct species including small snakes, birds, turtles, and mammals after they looked at 10,000 samples of cat excrement throughout Australia.
Cats, mostly feral, kill 377 million birds every year, and they are becoming more hungry, The Conversation reported.
Researchers say stopping pet cats from roaming will stop them eating viciously like ferals (file picture)
Every day feral cats eat more than 20 small lizards, while pet cats kill 53 million reptiles every year (file picture)
Professor of Conversation Biology at Charles Darwin University, John Woinarski, who specialises in native animals, said as more species become extinct, Australia’s soil becomes less productive.
‘The quality of life in Australia can decline because of this,’ he said.
‘Australia is distinctive for its natural environment… these are animals that turn over the soil and add fertility to it.
‘Since Australia was settled we have lost 34 mammal species, including types of bandicoot, wallabies, delightful animals,’ he said.
Australia’s 3.9 million pet cats kill 53 million reptiles each year, some of them are pets (file picture)
Prof Woinarski said one of the reasons cats kill so many animals is because of their ancestry.
‘Cats and lions are from the same family, they are descendants of master hunters and are very skilled at killing other animals.’
These are Australian reptiles and bird species that feral cats ‘binge on,’ 11 of which are endangered, such as the Great Desert Skink, of which there are 4000 to 10,000 left in the wild.
Researchers warn that native animals in dry regions of Australia are most likely to be killed by cats (file picture)
The research also said native bird species, especially in dry regions of Australia, are at most risk.
‘We conclude that, on average, bird-kill rates are highest in arid Australia (up to 330 birds per square km per year) and on islands, where rates can vary greatly depending on size,’ the research said.
Feral cats in Australia also kill four times more lizards than American cats, and on average, each kills 225 reptiles per year (file picture)
Prof Wonarski said pet owners need to help.
‘There’s nothing wrong with keeping a pet, it’s great for people to have that connection with an animal, it’s good for the soul,’ he said.
‘But the owner has to contribute responsibility for our environment and moderate the damage their pets can do, keep them stimulated and in contained areas.’