Environmental researchers in Australia have come up with a staggering set of figures by conducting hundreds of studies on the predation habits of Australia's free-range pet cats and wild cats. In just one day, millions of cats in Australia have killed around 1.3 million birds, 1.8 million reptiles and more than 3.1 million mammals. These felines will kill more than 2 billion wild animals each year.
Cats were introduced to Australia by European colonists in the 18th century, and a 2017 report found that wildcats could be found in 99.8 per cent of the continent, including 80 per cent of Australian islands.
Lead researcher Sarah Legg of the University of Queensland's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Australia noted in a statement: "Current estimates of the number of wild cats in Australia range from 2 million to more than 6 million, while each feral cat could kill about 740 native wildlife each year. ”
"There are also about 4 million pet cats in Australia, and a pet cat kills an average of 75 animals a year. Although this may not sound like much compared to the death toll of wildcats. However, urban cats tend to be more densely populated than in rural areas. It is estimated that urban areas have 60 cats per square kilometer, which is obviously much more than wild cats kill per square kilometer, which will bring a fatal blow to the survival of wildlife in urban areas. ”
Australian officials are also exploring a variety of ways to control feral cat populations, including shooting, trapping and poisoning feral cats with bait such as poison intestines.
Researcher Christopher Dirkman also said: "At the current rate of processing cats, it is expected that around 2 million cats will be wiped out by 2020, but some vulnerable Australian wildlife may be running out of time. Unless Australia's cat problem is resolved as soon as possible, many native species in Australia will be at risk of extinction under this high level of predation. ”
