The Australian government is considering new measures Control of cat breeding in the country. A draft action plan was released this week that includes hunting and euthanasia of cats caught in the wild.
The reason for the action occurred after the publication of a United Nations report. According to the document, invasive species are the leading cause of biodiversity loss in Australia.
The Australian Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersekissued a statement on the new measures: “This consultation document will ask really important questions such as:”We should introduce a curfew for cats? “Should local governments have more options to restrict cat ownership in their area?'”.
Plibersek further estimated that cats are responsible for the deaths of an average of two billion animals each year. Conflicts with cats also occurred in the country in 2015, with an increase in the number of wild animals noted.
Suggestions
The new proposals mainly concern: Domestic cat breedingB. requiring cats to be kept at home at night, setting a limit on the number of cats per house and creating catfree areas.
In an interview with the North American press, Professor Sarah Legge of the Australian National University, one of the country’s leading researchers on the effects of cats, explains that Australians are more likely to accept measures to control domestic cats compared to other countries.
“Perhaps unfortunately our work is easier in Australia because we have lost so many species. The public is much more supportive of cat management, including pet cat owners,” she said.
This is also explained by research Effects of cats Domestic and wild animals “mix” so measures targeting both species are needed.
Legge’s study also points out that a domestic cat kills around 186 mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs per year. While one wild cat can kill up to 748 other animals.
Despite the estimated number of deaths, feral cats are common in the wild and domestic cats are found in higher densities in the suburbs.
restrictions
Strict restrictions on cats already apply in several regions of Australia. At Mount Barker in the south of the country, respectively The family is limited to two cats.
In other places, pets must be kept indoors. Christmas Island, an Australian territory northwest of the mainland, has banned new animals from being brought onto the island and required all residents to sterilize their pet cats.
Under the administration’s new proposal, states would legislate while local governments would have the power to more easily establish catfree areas.