TASMANIA’S recreational hunters have joined the fight against the state’s feral cats.
Field Hunting and Conservation members had been buying traps, placing and monitoring them, president Peter Darke said.
“We know we have a challenge, so clubs are buying traps and members are monitoring them regularly,” Mr Darke said.
“The concern is that feral cats spread toxoplasmosis, which causes abortion in ewes.''
He said hunters would often pass up their target game to shoot a feral cat, if they saw one.
Mr Darke said he had been assisted by the Upper Meander Catchment and Landcare Group.
Group spokesman Kevin Knowles said it had been established there was a density of between seven and 10 feral cats, per hectare, in the Meander and Janefield areas of Northern Tasmania.
Mr Knowles said he was about to complete a report, Feral Cat Densities in the Bush Pasture Interface in Northern Tasmania, which would go to the Federal Environment Department.
“It’s been very interesting, we have reduced cat numbers by between 50 and 80 per cent,” Mr Knowles said.
Mr Knowles said the number of animals being added to the wild population also needed to be reduced.
“Without cats being microchipped and desexed, it’s just going to be a never ending job,” he said.
“Without cats being microchipped and desexed, it's just going to be a never ending job."
- Kevin Knowles.
Evidence had also shown it appeared there had been an impact on lambing percentages, particularly on grazier Bruce Young’s property, at Meander.
“He is back to 150-200pc lambing figures this year – that’s a huge difference,” Mr Knowles said.
He said he estimated Mr Young lost 500 lambs, due to toxoplasmosis spread by feral cats, last year.
Mr Young said he wasn’t totally convinced trapping had reduced the incidence of toxoplasmosis, but it was still valuable.
“We had a very good run this year, hardly any ewes lost lambs, but it may be because they had immunity,” Mr Young said.
Fewer cats had been caught on the Meander property, due to an abundance of food, such as rabbits.
He said the federal government should introduce a bounty on feral cats, similar to the one on foxes and wild dogs.
