Australia Wages War On Feral Cats, Hopes To Kill Nearly 2 Million By 2020

Australia’s feral cat population has skyrocketed out of control, and the government pans to wage war to eradicate nearly 2 million of the felines by the year 202o.

According to the Washington Post, the feral cat population has had a drastic impact on the ecosystem. Thus far, the feral cats have caused the loss of 29 native species and have put nearly 1,800 more under threat of disappearing. The cats’ predatory instincts make them the perfect hunting machines, which is causing the demise of so many native creatures.

Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt plans to kill at least 2 million of the feral cats by 2020, lessening their impact on the ecosystem. However, he knows that controlling so many cats will not be easy.

“By 2020, I want to see 2 million feral cats culled, five new islands and 10 new mainland ‘safe havens’ free of feral cats, and control measures applied across 10 million hectares.”

Time Magazine shared that Australia’s threatened species commissioner, Gregory Andrews, is worried that more native animals will become extinct if something isn’t done soon.

“Of the 29 mammals that we’ve lost to extinction, feral cats are implicated in 28 out of those 29 extinctions.”

Australia’s plan to wage war on feral cats is expected to be carried out via poisoning, baiting, and shooting. Each will result in the death of the felines in an attempt to control the population to manageable levels since there are not many natural predators of the feral cats.

The plan is to only attack feral cats, and not house cats during the feline war. However, they are aware that some family pets may become casualties in the process.

Gregory Andrews hopes that everyone realizes that they are waging war to protect the habitats of the native species and the animals as well, and that Australia does not hate cats. Instead, Australia is working to protect their home land from further damage and despair.

“It’s very important to emphasize, too, that we don’t hate cats. We just can’t tolerate the damage that they’re doing anymore to our wildlife.”

Australia has waged similar wars in the past, specifically against European wild rabbits and cane toads, both invasive species that quickly escalated in numbers to the point of damaging natural habitats and the environment.

Controlling the feral cat population will allow Australia’s native wildlife to flourish once again and restore their numbers back to safe levels.

[Photo By China Photos/Getty Images]