A feral cat eradication trial that will use grooming traps that administer a toxic gel has begun on the Dudley Peninsula on Kangaroo Island.
As a part of the KI Feral Cat Eradication Program that aims to eradicate feral cats by 2030, the 18-month program, Felixer vs Felis, will be conducted across public and private land with an initial target of up to 500 feral cats.
The Felixer grooming traps, which have been used extensively in northern SA and the Northern Territory, work by identifying cats from their size, shape and gait as they cross in front of the machines.
When the traps identify a cat, the machine administers a single dose of a toxic gel to the animal’s coat, which is ingested when the cat grooms itself.
KI’s Natural Resources Management board presiding member Richard Trethewey said the move to “toxic mode” was a significant step forward in the eradication of feral cats.
“This is one of many control tools being trialled in this long-term endeavour," he said.
“Natural Resources KI staff are placing and operating the grooming traps, working alongside landholders and volunteers who are involved in data monitoring and analysis."
NRKI feral cat team leader Venetia Bolwell said the grooming traps proved highly successful in identifying the target species when trialled without poison.
“When the traps activate, they photograph what has passed in front of them. By analysing these photos together with records of whether animals were identified as targets or non-targets, we have established that the traps are effective in identifying the target species,” Ms Bolwell said.
The use of the grooming traps in toxic mode will be highly regulated and conducted in full cooperation with landholders, both in the study areas and with surrounding properties.
The grooming traps use sodium fluroacetate (1080), which is also highly toxic to dogs and warning signs will be placed around the sites to advise people to keep their dogs restrained and away from the area, as is done in other parts of Australia.
An update on a potential cat proof fence across the Dudley isthmus is also expected in the coming months.
