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Threatened species commissioner appointed to helpsave native wildlife |

To: Greg and Val Clancy <>
Subject: Threatened species commissioner appointed to helpsave native wildlife | Environment | theguardian.com
From: Kim Sterelny <>
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2014 06:57:43 +0000
Folks

I have talked to quite a few ecologists about this at ANU, and the message I 
hear is much more mixed, suggesting that cat impact varies a lot from place to 
place, because cats do not only eat native animals, they eat a lot of rats, 
mice and rabbits. That said, there is a lot of variation in opinion.

It is a while since I reread any of the work in WA on numbat reintroduction but 
at one stage their experimental manipulations on small mammal populations 
showed a large impact from fox control, but much less from cat control. Anyone 
kept up to date on this?

I'll come clean on this: I do have a domestic cat in inner Canberra where we 
rent, which takes a lot of rats (over 30 in one month) and no birds; I also 
have a bush property, and I would never keep a cat there (not until too old to 
hunt, anyway)

kim



Kim Sterelny
Philosophy Program
RSSS, ANU

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ANU Contact Information
Philosophy Program
Research School of the Social Sciences
Australian National University
0200 Canberra, ACT, Australia

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61- (0)2 6125-2886; messages:  Philosophy Program

61-(0)2 -6125 2341,
fax 61-(0)2 - 6125 3294




On 02/07/2014, at 4:43 PM, Greg and Val Clancy wrote:

I am with you Denise.  There are a few responsible cat owners who keep their 
pets in doors or in a run in the yard but the majority don't.  With the 
millions of domestic cats in Australia the toll on wildlife must be great. 
People are usually aware of the impact of feral cats on native wildlife but 
don't realise that their moggy is also a major threat.  Any cat not in the 
owners house or cat run should be declared 'feral' and be eliminated.  Years 
ago the NSW government produced a green paper on companion animals which called 
for serious and much needed controls on domestic pets, including cats.  The pet 
food industry lobbied the government and the end result was a lame act, 
particularly with respect to cats.  My aging mother-in-law, who had the early 
stages of dementia at the time, was being disturbed at night by a neighbour's 
cat.  The Council ranger said that they could only act after it was established 
that the cat was a nuisance and that my mother-in-law would need to keep a 
diary on the movements of the cat.  I don't blame the ranger as he has to work 
within the legislation but the control of cats is like the human 
over-population issue, the elephant in the room.


Regards


Greg


Dr Greg. P. Clancy
Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide
| PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460
| 02 6649 3153  | 0429 601 960
http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com
http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/




-----Original Message----- From: Denise Goodfellow
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 4:02 PM
To: Carl Clifford
Cc: Birding Aus
Subject: Threatened species commissioner appointed to helpsave native wildlife 
| Environment | theguardian.com

I challenge prominent  Australians to stick their necks out and call for 
control of all cats.

Denise Lawungkurr  Goodfellow
PO Box 71
Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841








On 2 Jul 2014, at 2:56 pm, Carl Clifford <> wrote:

Nice to see that the Government is doing something about feral cat control. 
What the results will be, who knows. An awful lot of bait will have to be laid 
for effective control.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/02/threatened-species-commissioner-to-combat-decline-of-native-wildlife

Carl Clifford
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