Steph M Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/02/morrissey-attacks-australian-plan-to-cull-2-million-feral-cats?CMP=soc_567 "The cats are, in fact, 2m smaller versions of Cecil the lion.” I love the Smiths as much as the next person but good heavens Morrissey is not someone I would enjoy dinner with. Haha. While I don't agree with the 1080 method, I'd rather see the cats dispatched quicker I do agree in general with the cull. I'd like to see more trap, desex and release done as well, not just a wave of culling. I wonder if this guy and the other celebrities that have come out against culling them has really ever met a feral cat, we have heaps around work and they're manky, sick, hungry and often wearing old injuries yet they breed like rabbits. No denying the damage a plague like that could cause on the native population and what a crappy life they must live. Little bit different to an endangered lion... Interested to hear what others think though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I think trap neuter and release can work in some places but I don't really like it here. It's basically just neutering predators and then leaving them out there to kill our native animals It's a hard one. I hate anything being killed but wild cats are such a danger to our wildlife and, realistically as you said it's hardly a good life for them either. Working in shelters I've heard so many people talking about "taming" them and have to wonder if they've ever actually had contact with an adult feral cat!! I agree 1080 isn't the best way to go though, awful stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) Good point, I've read a lot that says the trap and release works well because cats tend to be territorial, so if you have a few neuters around you're not attracting on heat females and the ensuing litters onto your property, but that may not be so in practice, just an interesting thought in theory! Feral cats are bloody scary! They're almost a different species to my fat couch ornament. They're huge, for one! Can see how they do a lot of damage. Edited September 2, 2015 by Steph M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Yeah it would help in that way you're right. Omg, seriously, they are absolutely terrifying! Feral kittens are my worst nightmare Big difference between feral and semi feral too which if caught young enough can be brought around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I have NFI who 'Morrissey' is .cecil the lion? not really . They are not indigenous, or in countable numbers, or popular with tourists....I love cats - and feel ill at the thought of masses of poisonings etc ...however , it would be SO much better for Australia as a whole ...we used to have possums, ground nesting birs and small mammals - over the past 40 yrs, cats & foxes have decimated our wildlife.Morrissey should come watch a feral cat take down a goatling or lamb - yes it IS like a lion ...but..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) I wish that firstly they'd clear up the confusion between independent stray un-tame cat and multi generational feral monster because people aren't quite getting it. If you tamed a cat it wasn't a feral. And no way should anyone be suggesting TNR back into a vulnerable environment .... a unique ecosystem which appears to also require some explanation. On any given piece of land, you can have a cat population, or thriving natives. Not both. The Tasman Island Project is a great read. Oh. and Dear Morrissey, I'll take you more seriously if you rescue one of our newly endangered muscular, scarred up, feral tomcats and 'tame' it with love and a can of whiskas. :) Edited September 2, 2015 by Powerlegs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 2 million cats to cull by 2020 - out of approximately 20 million population... won't make a dent in the cat population at all - does this dick have any idea how fast they breed? I suppose they think they need to be seen to be "doing something"... even if it's not going to make one iota of difference in the long run. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I wish that firstly they'd clear up the confusion between independent stray un-tame cat and multi generational feral monster because people aren't quite getting it. If you tamed a cat it wasn't a feral. And no way should anyone be suggesting TNR back into a vulnerable environment .... a unique ecosystem which appears to also require some explanation. On any given piece of land, you can have a cat population, or thriving natives. Not both. The Tasman Island Project is a great read. Oh. and Dear Morrissey, I'll take you more seriously if you rescue one of our newly endangered muscular, scarred up, feral tomcats and 'tame' it with love and a can of whiskas. :) what's TNR? I'm for ridding Australia of ferals cats, but wish it could be a quick death for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) TNR = trap, neuter, release. A great option for stray/colony cats in urban areas. Not suitable for feral cats in the bush. Edited September 2, 2015 by *kirty* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 thanks Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 LOL - imagining trapping 12 kg ferals here and taking to the vet for desexing! NOT. ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightstar123 Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 As far as I know WA uses 'Eradicat' baits (1080) and the eastern states are trialling and using 'Curiosity' baits (PAPP), which is supposedly a humane replacement for 1080? I hate 1080, I don't think it's humane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 There's been some debate around this lately in NZ, and as one conservation scientist said "we don't TNR ferrets and possums, why would we TNR the cats?". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) Unless you're talking about a very small island or you're spending big, big bucks to cat-proof fence small areas and being extremely thorough with your trap and kill within the fenceline (and then slowly creating more tiny fenced areas and continuing), the evidence shows that you'll just be increasing the cat population by culling. http://www.sciencealert.com/culling-feral-cats-may-actually-increase-their-numbers-study-suggests Increasing native flora biodiversity and ground cover also seems to have much more impact than culling or restricting cats. http://media.murdoch.edu.au/cat-legislation-not-effective-without-conserving-bush The money being plowed in to throwing out baits willy-nilly on an enormous mainland is going to basically be flushed down the toilet, and we'll probably end up with more cats than we started as an added bonus. Edited September 3, 2015 by melzawelza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 1080 baits don't work all that well with cats... as they are less likely to take the dried up meat that it's in... Works quite well on some native (and endangered) carnivores - and foxes - though... *sigh* The only effective way to cull rural feral cats is to shoot on sight... not pleasant, but totally effective nonetheless. Urban feral cats may see a reduction using TNR, but there would have to be a hell of a lot of people out there trapping, and an equally large number of vets willing to neuter for peanuts. Baiting is a lazy way of attempting to cull... and it's NOT as effective as other more man-hour intensive methods. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) The only effective way to cull rural feral cats is to shoot on sight... not pleasant, but totally effective nonetheless. T. Effective at killing that individual cat, yes. Effective at reducing the cat population as a whole? All evidence points to 'absolutely not, you'll probably end up with even more'. Edited September 3, 2015 by melzawelza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taliecat Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 The only effective way to cull rural feral cats is to shoot on sight... not pleasant, but totally effective nonetheless. T. Effective at killing that individual cat, yes. Effective at reducing the cat population as a whole? All evidence points to 'absolutely not, you'll probably end up with even more'. I thought that catch, desex and release was the most effective method.. That way you aren't getting new fertile cats into the same area you just cleared out. It's a long term project though and not always possible with limited finances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 1080 is an aweful way for an animal to die. If there are no other options and its a feral I don't like it but can deal with it. Feral cats are not real easy to shoot either. They are exceedingly cunning. We used to shoot feral cats but my dad did an extremely convincing cat call that got them very close so we got a humane clean shot. I am not sure what the answers are but we need to do something. In my area in the lare 1800 hundreds there was a massive rabbit plague. Some very (not) intellegent person came up with the idea of releasing cats into bushland to control the rabbits. Now we have lots of rabbits and a stupid amount of whiley feral cats that are freaking enormous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Probably the best option would be an immunocontraceptive. However they've had difficulty developing one without awful side effects. TNR is not an option for the feral cat population. The problem with controlling cat populations is that it's NOT one size fits all. Take them out of some ecosystems and you'll be overrun by rabbits and rodents. The current approach is simplistic and ineffective long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 (edited) Morrisey was relevant when I was a teenager. He's always been a vegetarian animal libber even back in the 80s. He's just an old has been with deluded views thes days. ETA: the British have an entirely different attitude to cats and let them roam wherever they please (what I saw anyway) Edited September 4, 2015 by Ripley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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