Curiosity to kill Australian cats

[Freuds_Cat]

Australian scientists are hoping to add some truth to the old adage by using curiosity to kill some of the country's millions of wild cats.

New traps that attract cats using sound and light, and then squirt them with poison, will soon be tested in South Australia's Kangaroo Island, the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre said on its website.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Curiosity+to+kill+Australian+cats&NewsID=229577

[Denis]

While I love cats and don't condone mistreatment or senseless killing of animals I can understand where the Australians are coming from on this one. I think I'll willingly look away if updates on this come along though.

[Aussie Mark]

Our scientists do weird shit.  Last week there was a story about cat food baits being used to cause meat ants to swarm and attack cane toads (another introduced pest that we can't manage to control)

[Freuds_Cat]

Fair enough Denis. I'm not into sensless killing of any animal but if you could see the damage that cats do here you would understand.

With  very few exceptions (like the dingo), Australia has almost no carnivorous mamals. So when things like cats and foxes (and European humans) were introduced there were large numbers of animals unequipped to deal with such efficient killers. Farming/land clearing, population expansion not only in human terms but of course Foxes and cats as well has meant that just in my lifetime a lot of the animals that I grew up seeing in large numbers are almost never seen now.

On a place like Kangaroo Island which is only 100kms long the cause and effect becomes stark. I wouldn't call myself a greeny but in my country cats just dont fit IMHO.

[Freuds_Cat]

Cane Toads!  man there is one gigantic cock up from the Scientific fraternity 

[Dave W]

Do you have fire ants too?

[Hornisse]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhssWZ13aU0&feature=related

[Freuds_Cat]

Do you have fire ants too?

I wasn't aware of this but its from Wikipedia so it must be true.

The US, Taiwan and Australia all have on going national efforts to control or eradicate the species, but, other than Australia, none have been especially effective. In Australia an intensive program costing A$175 million has, at February 2007, eradicated 99% of fire ants from the sole infestation occurring in South East Queensland

[Highlander]

Oz and Kiwi-land have had too many disasters from our playing with wildlife...

Some dumb shmuck thought it would be a good idea to introduce hedgehogs in the Hebrides... oops... all those ground nesting seabirds... suddenly there's a major problem and a decimated population... they are now relocating them after the locals deciding posioning was too cruel...

Cats are incredibly good predators... too good...

[uwe]

Fair enough Denis. I'm not into sensless killing of any animal but if you could see the damage that cats do here you would understand.

With  very few exceptions (like the dingo), Australia has almost no carnivorous mamals. So when things like cats and foxes (and European humans) were introduced there were large numbers of animals unequipped to deal with such efficient killers. Farming/land clearing, population expansion not only in human terms but of course Foxes and cats as well has meant that just in my lifetime a lot of the animals that I grew up seeing in large numbers are almost never seen now.

On a place like Kangaroo Island which is only 100kms long the cause and effect becomes stark. I wouldn't call myself a greeny but in my country cats just dont fit IMHO.

I thought the dingo was just a descendant of dogs brought in by humans (very early sailors) that turned wild again over centuries of being without man. Is it truly indigenous? It doesn't look like it. Generally, Australian mammals do weird things like laying eggs, having a duck's beak or giving pre-birth to embryos they then have to cumbersomely breed in their pouch. A dingo is just a perfectly normal wild dog, poor thing, it didn't know what it got itself into when it was brought to that strange island.

[Denis]

Similar to Australia's problem with nonnative species, the Florida Everglades has a huge problem with pythons killing ducks, geese, native reptiles, alligators, etc. People think it's  great idea to get a python, but when it reaches 5' long and still growing they let them loose. Recently I saw estimate stating there are tens of thousands of them because they are reproducing. I'm for mass eradication of them wherever found.

[Freuds_Cat]

I thought the dingo was just a descendant of dogs brought in by humans (very early sailors) that turned wild again over centuries of being without man. Is it truly indigenous? It doesn't look like it. Generally, Australian mammals do weird things like laying eggs, having a duck's beak or giving pre-birth to embryos they then have to cumbersomely breed in their pouch. A dingo is just a perfectly normal wild dog, poor thing, it didn't know what it got itself into when it was brought to that strange island.

From my understanding of the dingo story they are one of the oldest pure breeds of dog in the world and were introduced into Australia about 4 -10 thousand years ago from South East Asia. I guess that makes it an introduced species. I've been into the highlands of Malaysia and spent a few days traveling up the Jelai river staying with Aborigines that look identical to the Aborigines in the North of Australia and was surprised to see that their dogs looked the same as an Australian Dingo. I have also seen the same dogs on Timor.

Since European settlement the domestic dogs have started to water down the purity of the breed. Most old bushmen will tell you that they can tell how pure the breeding of a dingo is by the way that it howls / barks. Like Johns Basenji's, a pure bred dingo cant bark.

My Aunt had a small central Australian Dingo from a pup. Due to the fact that  we are (stupidly) not allowed to own (a wild animal) like a dingo she registered the dog as a Basenji without question. Both my Aunt and the dog are now dead but my family still enjoy telling this story.

As far as not knowing what it got itself into I would make the point that being the only predator in an entire country would be more akin to a child in a candy store.

[nofi]

the usa has millions of stray cats as well but they integrate themselves so well into their environment no one seems to notice. plus they are an effective means of pest control in certain areas. your aussie felines must be really pissed off about something.

[uwe]

The error is man-created and must be solved by man. With man-size servings. But as usual, the people of Oz are too sissy to do the right and sensible thing:





For export purposes I strongly advise, however, to employ a less incriminating food description that is still not misleading ... "Pure Australian Free Range Rabbit" perhaps? "So tender, it purrs in your mouth, just whisker-licking good!"

[TBird1958]

ROFL Uwe!




Tastes like a food hummer