Feral cat hisses from inside a cat trap. © Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Feral cats kill more than two billion native animals in Australia every year. Now, Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is launching a new National Feral Cat Research Program, beginning with a pioneering genomic study of 400 feral cats to identify new ways of controlling one of the country’s most destructive introduced predators, including the potential for future genetic biocontrol methods.

Cats are a leading threat to Australia’s native fauna, and a primary driver of mammal extinctions and declines across the country. Since cats were introduced to Australia, they have spread across 99% of the continent and many islands, and are estimated to kill over two billion native animals each year.

The genomics study, initiated by AWC with CSIRO and the WA feral cat management community, will help scientists address knowledge gaps surrounding the introduced predator. By using whole genome re-sequencing of feral cat populations in priority areas, beginning in Western Australia, AWC hopes the findings will help assess the feasibility of potential new genetic biocontrol technologies, including gene drives, as potential tools for reducing cat populations nationwide.

This project is supported by funding from the WA Government’s Feral Cat Management Grants. Nearly $140,000 has been awarded to fund the research.

“We’re hoping to crack the nut of how to control cats and reduce their impact on over 200 threatened species that are negatively impacted by their presence,” explained Dr Jennifer Pierson, AWC’s National Science Team Manager and the leader of the feral cat genomics study. “Currently, we have different methods that we use to reduce cat populations, such as shooting, trapping, baiting and Felixer grooming traps, however they’re all expensive, labour intensive, and have variable success.”

Whole genome resequencing will complement ecological and behavioral knowledge and provide a clearer picture of population demographics, as well as how cats move through the environment. It can also reveal information about current feral cat population sizes, dispersal distances, and connectivity across the state.

“While previous studies have conducted whole-genome resequencing for feral cats, it has only been done for a small handful of individuals,” added Dr Pierson. “A strong baseline of whole genome data at a large scale is critical in order to develop and evaluate long term-solutions to effectively manage feral cats across the country.”

“We may identify different genes associated with environmental differences, and then we could target those genes in any potential future control methods.”

Since its establishment in 1991, AWC has led the charge against cats in Australia through large-scale feral predator management and a network of feral predator-free fenced areas. Over the next four years, AWC plans to amplify its efforts and address this ongoing threat with the new National Feral Cat Research Program. The plan outlines seven actions to improve cat control and reduce impacts on native wildlife. These include:

While the genome research on feral cats will gives us an understanding of how populations function demographically, AWC will also review its extensive database of feral cat data to determine their population density in different landscapes. Specifically, AWC hopes to determine whether some native species can coexist with a suppressed cat population subject to ongoing control.

By reviewing past survey results and keeping tabs on populations released beyond the fence at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary in WA, AWC hopes to determine how native species respond to cat activity and understand the level of cat density in which native species, such as Chuditch (Western Quolls), can persist.

Based on previous research, AWC understands that feral cats use open landscapes created by feral herbivores and frequent, hot fires to prey on vulnerable native animals. To this point, AWC has managed cats by managing these two disturbances.

AWC will use existing data to test whether fire and herbivore management methods have translated into fewer cats, which native species benefit from this management, and which species need more support and to what scale.

AWC will also build on this knowledge by fitting cats with GPS collars and using motion sensor cameras to see how they move through the landscape in relation to landscape management.

AWC will meet with Indigenous rangers in Central Australia to capture the amazing knowledge that First Nations People hold about the ecology of cats.

This type of event has been conducted previously on culturally significant species but will be the first for feral cats. Following the workshop, AWC will incorporate this knowledge into our efforts to reduce feral cat activity around Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary and Ngalurrtju Aboriginal Trust.

AWC will commence weekly feral cat shootings at Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary commencing July to November. The shooting campaign will run over the next two years, in areas where AWC is already conducting fire management and herbivore control activities.

This is building on a two-week shooting campaign made in 2022, and aims to determine whether a long-term shooting campaign, in addition to fire and feral herbivore management, can increase native fauna recovery and reduce cat activity.

AWC will also expand on its ‘Eradicat’ program which involves deploying felixers to control feral cat populations. The program is currently underway at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary and will be extended to Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary and Ngalurrtju in Central Australia.

Motion sensor cameras are frequently used by AWC as a tool to monitor wildlife as well as feral cat activity. However, up until now, there hasn’t been a consistent approach to how and where cameras are deployed which generates varied outcomes and results.

AWC will develop a standardised approach to the way motion sensor cameras are deployed on sanctuaries in a bid to reduce variation and improve the quality/reliability of the data that is collected.

Following the successful release of Woylies (Brush-tailed Bettongs) beyond the fence at Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary in Western Australia, AWC will expand its ‘beyond the fence’ reintroduction program into the desert.

Feral cat susceptible native mammals will be released outside fenced areas at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary and Ngalurrtju in Central Australia, following the implementation of a targeted feral cat baiting program to reduce feral cat populations and maximise the chances of reintroduction success.

AWC will launch a comprehensive national communications campaign focused on the impact of feral cats in Australia, aimed at increasing public awareness and understanding of the significant threat they pose to the country’s native wildlife.

The communications plan will incorporate all areas of communications, including media relations, digital and social media, stakeholder engagement, content development, partnerships, and public advocacy, to ensure broad reach and meaningful impact across diverse audiences.

For more information on Australia’s feral cat problem and the ?research program, ?click here.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a pragmatic, on-ground global conservation leader, conserving landscapes and providing hope for Australian wildlife. Informed by science, we deliver measurable conservation impact at scale to secure the future of our most endangered species and their habitats, including restoring degraded landscapes where necessary.

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