16 Jul BILLIONS OF NATIVE ANIMALS KILLED BY FERAL CATS EVERY YEAR
Startling new research has shed a light on how dire the problem of feral cats is in Australia.
Cats are killing six million animals a day in Australia. This is a fact shared in a new book, Cats in Australia: Companion and Killer, which combined key findings from hundreds of studies for its research. The book was written by Charles Darwin University Professor John Woinarski, The Australian National University’s Professor Sarah Legge and The University of Sydney’s Professor Chris Dickman.
“These newly released numbers support our fight against feral animals that are decimating Australian wildlife,” Aussie Ark President Tim Faulkner said, “Billions of mammals, reptiles and birds are killed every year by cats and they are one of the biggest threats we face in saving our unique native animals from extinction.”
Cats are one of the leading causes in approximately 20 mammal extinctions in the last 200 years.
“For thousands of years our animals were free from the threat of feral animals so never developed defense mechanisms, but once cats, foxes and pigs were introduced by humans our animals never had a chance.”
Fencing has become a reality for conservation in Australia, being the only accountably effective method of keeping feral predators’ cats and foxes from decimating our native animals and having catastrophic effects on the ecosystem.
Aussie Ark has a vision of providing a pre-Eurpoean environment to the mammals that once inhabited the NSW Barrington region.
Construction has finished on Aussie Ark’s 400Ha sanctuary, with the opening date set for November. The fence is specially designed to keep foxes, cats and pigs out and protects the spectacular habitat that is so unique to the Barrington region.
With expansion planned for Aussie Ark into larger sanctuaries, following the 400Ha, an additional 500Ha sanctuary will begin development, with over 2000Ha of land available to secure in the next few years.
Aussie Ark relies on public donations to continue our vital work. You can support by donating here.