The number of feral cats out in the bush has something that has caught many grey nomads by surprise as they travel Outback Australia.
Some of the felines that have been spotted have been huge, and the scale of the ‘problem’ has become such that the Government recently decided action needed to be taken.
However, its plan to cull two million feral cats has come in for some high-profile criticism, including from singer-songwriter, Morrissey, who has compared feral cats to ‘Cecil the Lion’.
He said that the life of one cat should not be regarded as any less than any other. And he told the Guardian newspaper that he was disgusted by the way in which the cats would be killed.
“The cats, who keep the rodent population under control, will be killed in a ferocious manner, using Compound 10/80, which is a gut-wrenching poison of the most unimaginable and lengthy horror,” he said.
The brand name of the 10/80 to be deployed is ‘Curiosity’, with media speculating that the creators found the saying “curiosity killed the cat” amusing.
The target of wiping out two million feral cats, from an estimated population of 20 million, by the year 2020 set after environment minister, Greg Hunt, referred to feral cats as a “tsunami of violence and death”.
The feline hunters are thought to be a particular threat to ground-nesting birds and small native mammals.
A government statement in response to recent criticism said:
“Australia is a country rich in unique plants and animals. They are core to our identity, culturally significant to Indigenous peoples, important to the health of our environment and a strong contributor to our economy. Our distinctive plants and animals are a gift and ours to protect.”
Culling may be a ”band aid ” short term answer, ? however the only way to stop this re, occuring is to have COMPULSORY DESEXING OF all CATS, unless owned by a Registered and Licensed Breeder,, and whilst on this subject the same Laws should apply to Dogs, ?
What an idiot this Morrissey is. How can you possibly compare Cecil the lion to these ferral fauna killing cats. Just go to Wiliam Creek and have a look in the glass cabinet at the stomach contents of one cat and then try to compare. He needs to get out in the country and have look at the size of some of these animals. They are not domestic pussies.
Best we start sooner than later on this serious problem. I worked on a mine site in WA 200km from the nearest town and still we had a feral cat problem.
Why not give a free vaccination to all domestic desexed cats for feline enteritis or some similar disease that affects cats only, then introduce it into the feral population. We are loosing around 20 million native animals EVERY NIGHT to feral cats. Such a move is called biological control and is always the best way to control pests.