G'day Michael.
1080 is toxic to cats, but less so than to canids. However, I must object
to the idea that there is any proof that cats are a greater threat to
wildlife than foxes. There is more intensity of feeling about cats, cats
have been in the news more, and there may have been more study done on cats.
But these things do not constitute more evidence, just more 'noise'. I am
not saying cats are either more or less of a threat than foxes. Its just
that people carry around all sorts of pet hates and other baggage about cats
which distort judgement.
Cage traps? Cats hunt visually, and this reduces the utility of cage traps.
The primary problem with cage traps for any animals is that they are
extremely labour intensive. To make any kind of impression with cage traps
would require vast numbers of traps and a huge army of people to monitor
them. Then, of course, you have a whole lot of live cats to deal with.
They have to be killed after capture- a big job. So, for broadscale
conservation, traps are probably not appropriate. CSIRO are working on a
cat-specific toxin, I believe. The kitty-cat lobby won't like it though, and
I think we will soon start to hear their calls for fed, watered and
vet-serviced wild cat colonies. This is something which is taking a lot of
money away from feral animal control in the USA. Put feral cats into your
search engine and see what comes up if you want to see what the next wave
from the cat lobby is going to be.
Scott O'Keeffe
-----Original Message-----
From:
Behalf Of
Sent: 07 August 2001 15:43
To: birding aus
Subject: 1080 a horrorshow
G'day All
I guess that thread petered out because of the switch to a
canine - the fox. But what about the susceptibility to
1080/fluroacetate of cats ?
Perhaps I haven't looked carefully enough but I get the
impression that the cat family are not affected anything as much
by 1080 as the dogs. I read the evidence in recent postings as
pointing to cats being a bigger problem to current wildlife than
dogs. The dogs family - inc. dingoes - may have knocked off some
species 20+,000 years ago but the cats are probably more recent,
although not necessarily a result of the European invasion as
early explorers found them in the outback).
Does anyone who cares for native wildlife want to retain either
cats or foxes given their ability to kill our insects, frogs,
skinks, snakes.... oh yes, and birds. Would cage traps be a good
idea ?
Michael Norris
If 1080 could knock off cats that would be a bonus
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