Further to the discussion about preliminary Atlas results, I have been asked to
pass on some comments from John Seebeck, a well-known mammalogist who has an
interest in cats and their impacts on wildlife (among many other things).
Richard Johnson has already covered this very well, but some of John's points
may be of interest.
John wrote: While I am not hypercritical of the report, there is no evidence
advanced for cats and/or foxes being involved. Not to say they are not, but
statements such as Rory makes need to be supported to have credibility. I would
not like to see the issue diminished by unsubstantiated pronouncements of this
kind. I can't advance any data myself but others have done research and
published on predation by cats and foxes, without, as yet, much information
about their effects on bird populations. A recent paper in Wildlife Research by
Danielle Risbey and colleagues in WA has relevant information , but principally
relates to small mammals.
I reckon a cat would have a hard time bringing down an emu!
Cheers
Ian
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