Cats are bad for the planet, according to some. Cats with
free range in the US alone are estimated to kill approximately 3.7 billion
birds each year, along with 20.7 billion small mammals. In many circles, cats have a bad reputation and are not considered with high regard.
Now our beloved feline friends are being accused of causing
extra problems in Australia as the bushfires continue to reap devastating destruction
across the continent. Scientists investigating the ecological disaster have
discovered that surviving cats are hunting across the burned areas picking off
the injured and weakened wildlife. In fact, in one study a feral cat travelled
19 miles to reach a scorched area, believed to have been using a combination of
sight and smell to find the areas affected by bushfires. Scientists also found
that the roaming cats were spending up to 50 days away hunting on the barren
land.
A second study involved 23 feral cats, each one wearing a
camera attached to a collar. During the study 101 hunting events were captured,
of which 32 were successful kills. That is the equivalent of each cat killing
7.2 animals within a 24-hour period. Most the time the cats did not eat their
prey. The hunts were especially successful while hunting in areas that were
open, including the burned lands that had fallen foul of the bushfires. In those
areas the success rate was 70%.
A further study showed that the cats would avoid burned land
after about three months. It is thought that the reason for this was due to the
regrowth in the area or that their prey had been wiped out and the cats decided
to move on to new pastures.
Keep Your Cats Contained
Cats are not native to Australia and they are known to cause serious problems. A few months back we covered the story that Australia was
considering a cat cull and making it mandatory for cat owners to keep their
cats indoors or in cat containment systems. This is down to the devastating
impact cats have on the native species of Australia. Those species have not had
the time to evolve escape and avoidance behaviours, making them easy prey for
the natural hunters.
Hunting on the Scorched Lands
The extreme nature of the current bushfires is devastating for
the wildlife of Australia. Biologist Sarah Legge who is studying the impact of feral
cats after bushfires expressed her fears, stating that ‘In terms of the
potential for recovery, that’s something that worries us a lot’. The land that
once burnt every 30 to 100 years have now burned three or four times in the last
20 years. This means the land isn’t given enough time to recover, which could
result in whole ecosystem failing and transforming into something else.
Scientists are unable to know what the damage caused by the
massive bushfires until they have a chance to go and study the land. They do
know that feral cats and other predators seek out the areas to hunt. One study
discovered some birds were picking up burning sticks to start fires and flush
out victims making them easier to catch. Cats are clever hunters, they wait and
watch the land until they have caught all the prey, which is a huge concern.
Helping the Wildlife Survive and Recover
Australia is trying to help save as many surviving animals
as possible. Feeding stations are being opened and vegetables are even being
airdropped into areas to help. The hope is to help as many animals survive to
help the natural recovery process and stop potential extinctions in those
areas. The Kangaroo Island dunnart is a rare species that has lost 95% of the
species to the fires. So far, they have found one survivor and it is hoped
that they can find at least another and successfully breed more. The dunnart
will hopefully make a return to the Island in healthy numbers, but Legge and
others are hoping that the cats don’t make it to Kangaroo Island first.
