New Zealand has announced plans to eradicate feral cats by 2050, as part of efforts to protect the country’s biodiversity.
Speaking to Radio New Zealand on Thursday, conservation minister Tama Potaka said that feral cats are “stone cold killers” and would be added to the country’s Predator Free 2050 list, which aims to eradicate those animals that have a negative impact on species such as birds, bats, lizards and insects.
Cats had previously been excluded from the list, which includes species such as stoats, ferrets, weasels, rats and possums, but Potaka used the interview to announce a U-turn.
He defined a feral cat as a wild animal that lives independently of humans. “They kill to survive,” he said.
Among the options on the table to eradicate feral cats are poisoned sausage bait and a type of poison that would be sprayed from a device on a tree as they walk past, Potaka said.
“In order to boost biodiversity, to boost heritage landscape and to boost the type of place we want to see, we’ve got to get rid of some of these killers,” he said.
In a statement published Friday, Potaka added more details to the plan.
“We know people want their local reserves, beaches and bush tracks to be full of birds, not predators,” he said.
“Feral cats are now found across Aotearoa New Zealand, from farms to forests, and they put huge pressure on native birds, bats, lizards and insects,” added Potaka.
The ministry said that more than 100 short-tailed bats were killed in a single week by feral cats near the town of Ohakune on the North Island, and they have also contributed to the near-extinction of the southern dotterel on Stewart Island.
“They also spread toxoplasmosis, which harms dolphins, affects people, and costs farmers through lost stock,” he said.
The statement also revealed that more than 90% of the nearly 3,400 submissions received from the public as part of a recent consultation strategy backed improved feral cat management.
Jessi Morgan, chief executive of the Predator Free New Zealand Trust, a conservation organization that works to protect the country’s native species, hailed the decision in an opinion piece published in local media outlet The Post on Friday.
“In June, when the Department of Conservation opened the Predator Free 2050 strategy up for consultation, they asked the public about feral cats,” she wrote. “The response was loud and clear: feral cats belong on the target list.”
Officials will release more details on the plan in an updated version of the Predator Free 2050 Strategy, which is scheduled for release in March.
The statement also addressed concerns around the impact on pet cats.
“New Zealand is full of proud cat owners, and domestic pets are not part of this Predator Free target,” Potaka said in the statement.
“Responsible ownership, desexing, microchipping, and keeping cats away from wildlife, remains an important part of the solution.”
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