Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Australia Declares War on Feral Cats

The NY Times' take on the subject:

To Brigitte Bardot, it is nothing less than “animal genocide.” To the singer Morrissey, it is “taking idiocy just too far.” Indeed, Australia’s plan to kill two million stray cats — “two million smaller versions of Cecil the Lion,” in Morrissey’s poignant formulation — is a jaw dropper. In a fast urbanizing world, the only cats most people come in contact with are the family pet, an animal to be pampered and scratched, not fed poisoned carrion.

Australia’s vast population of feral cats is nothing like that. These descendants of domestic cats brought in by European settlers have evolved into efficient predators far bigger than the average house pet, and they devour an estimated 75 million native animals every day. They are responsible for a real animal genocide, having wiped out about 28 native Australian species — including the desert bandicoot, the lesser bilby and the crescent nailtail wallaby.

Australia’s environment minister, Greg Hunt, announced the plan to eradicate a tenth of the estimated 20 million wild cats by 2020, calling them “a tsunami of violence and death.” That’s one way of saying they are an ecological threat that Australia must confront. Introduced species like the Australian cats, or the Burmese pythons in the Everglades or the lionfish in the Atlantic, are major threats to native plants and animals, and since they were usually brought in by humans, humans have a responsibility to deal with the problems.

Animal-rights advocates like Ms. Bardot or Morrissey are right to protect animals against cruelty or abuse, and they should insist that Australia use the least painful methods to cull the cats. And those responsible for controlling introduced species must do so with utmost care. But we cannot deny the realities of protecting the diversity and health of the species with which we share our planet.

God, please sign me up. I would love to help out with this cause!

I believe they have had a bounty on them for years. They're going to have to go hi-tec/bio to get them under control.

or up the bounty.

Sure.
Though aerial spraying of feline distemper would be a lot more efficient.

I can see a lot of candlelight vigils in the Australian future.......

If only I had a couple of cases of 22 hornet ammo and month with nothing else to do.

You can add foxes to the problem and, to some extent, feral dogs and Dingo crosses.

Of course there are also feral pigs, rabbits (not as many due to introduction of the cailicivirus) goats, donkeys.....

It's a good start recognising the problem we have known about for years.

I hate cats (I'm allergic to them) but I was told by a guy selling breakfast tacos from a consrtruction site puke truck that cat meat makes great breakfast tacos.

Will they return the guns to the guys who want to hunt them?

There has never been a bounty on feral cats. Foxes & and wild dogs yes, but not cats.

I'll go with you. I have five hundred K-hornets for my CZ loaded and can reload in the field with my hand dies. I can even load for you. 40 gr V-Max or Barns will dot the job.

you'd think the foxes, feral dogs, and Dingo crosses would kill the cats.

Are you serious ?

They can't declare much of a war on anything there...

Once that option is off the table, it ain't comin' back.

They have been trialling this in some large enclosures out in the desert country. I believe they have found that having a wild dog (dingo) apex predator present did suppress the fox and feral cat population, and that native species diversity was increased.

Makes sense. Will it work with everything in a free-range situation--who knows, but it seems lime it would be worth a try.

I could pass a lunar month with 1000 rounds of 223, 250 rounds of 12 gauge high brass #6 and 500 rounds of 22 LR Powerpoints.

I'd need a dozen cases of PBR and a few cans of spam, but other than that, I'd have a ball.

PS, sunscreen...Probably a good idea to bring sunscreen.

I declared an ongoing war against feral cats many years ago. My definition of "feral" is any cat not on the owner's property. My neighbor's (ex)wife blamed the horned owls, I think he knew, but felt obliged to pretend to try to shoot some owls. The pheasant population has improved since the declaration.

I reccomend the 17 HMR.