Impacts and management of feral cats Felis catus in Australia

Abstract

Feral cats are among the most damaging invasive species worldwide, and are implicated in many extinctions, especially in Australia, New Zealand and other islands. Understanding and reducing their impacts is a global conservation priority. We review knowledge about the impacts and management of feral cats in Australia, and identify priorities for research and management. In Australia, the most well understood and significant impact of feral cats is predation on threatened mammals. Other impacts include predation on other vertebrates, resource competition, and disease transmission, but knowledge of these impacts remains limited. Lethal control is the most common form of management, particularly via specifically designed poison baits. Non‐lethal techniques include the management of fire, grazing, food, and trophic cascades. Managing interactions between these processes is key to success. Given limitations on the efficacy of feral cat management, conservation of threatened mammals has required the establishment of insurance populations on predator‐free islands and in fenced mainland enclosures. Research and management priorities are to: prevent feral cats from driving threatened species to extinction; assess the efficacy of new management tools; trial options for control via ecosystem management; and increase the potential for native fauna to coexist with feral cats.

Interactions among threats affect conservation management outcomes: Livestock grazing removes the benefits of fire management for small mammals in Australian tropical savannas

“…For example, in northern Australia, feral cats concentrate their hunting in areas affected by intense fires and grazing (McGregor, Legge, Jones, & Johnson, 2014, 2016 because the reduced ground cover in these areas substantially increases their hunting efficiency (McGregor, Legge, Jones, & Johnson, 2015a), leading to declines in small mammal populations (Leahy et al, 2016). In contrast, intensively managing fire, or removing livestock, may be a cost-effective way to reduce cat impacts (Bowman & Legge, 2016;Doherty et al, 2017). Reducing cat density, especially in remote landscapes, is extremely challenging.…”

Ecology and predator associations of the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) in the Pilbara

“…The Pilbara has both foxes and cats, however foxes occur at lower densities and their distribution is more restricted. Feral cats are responsible for 26% of vertebrate extinctions in the world (Doherty et al 2016a;Doherty et al 2016b). Therefore, the management of introduced predators is in the interest of conservation plans for many species, including northern quolls.…”

“…Negative influence of feral cats on native species is not exclusive to Australia, and cats have been held responsible in 26% of the extinctions across the world (Doherty et al 2016a;Doherty et al 2016b). inhabited 51% of its former range in the south while its distribution remained unchanged in the north, the eastern quoll (D. viverrinus) was restricted to 17% of its previous range, the western quoll or chudditch (D. geoffroii) was reduced to about 3% of its former range, and the northern quoll was reduced to 18% of its previous range (Fisher et al 2014).…”

Community Engagement with Wildlife Conservation in Japan: A Case Study of an Endangered Bird, the Okinawa Rail (Hypotaenidia okinawae)

“…Feral cats, a signifi cant threat to this species and wildlife worldwide, are commonly subject to programs of lethal eradication as part of eff orts to protect threatened and native wildlife species globally. In a review of Australian feral cat management by Doherty et al (2017), there is little mention of negotiating community response to eradication by environmental authorities; rather, the focus is on improving the effi ciency of management strategies to improve outcomes for native biodiversity.…”