Australia sets traps to poison invasive feral cats

The Western Australian government on June 27 announced a five-year plan to eradicate feral cats and protect native species by using traps sprayed with toxic gel.

Feral cats and birds eat carcasses in Australia. Photo: iStock/Getty

Australia’s solution is the Felixer trap, a device that sprays a toxic gel containing sodium fluoroacetate. Cats then lick the gel off their bodies and become poisoned. The Western Australian government plans to lease 16 Felixer traps from Thylation and place them in areas where threatened native species live.

The solar-powered Felixer trap uses lasers and cameras to distinguish whether a passing animal is a feral cat. It will only spray a toxic gel if the animal has the shape and demeanor of a cat. The trap works best in areas with high cat traffic, such as fences.

“In thousands of tests, the device has accurately distinguished feral cats from native animals,” said Reece Whitby, head of the Western Australian Environment Agency.

According to the Western Australian Feral Cat Control Organisation, Felixer traps are useful in areas where bait or gun use is not appropriate. However, they are expensive and not suitable for large-scale use.

The five-year feral cat eradication strategy will also include baiting where appropriate, up to 880,000 baits per year, as well as increased funding for communities to help eradicate feral cats.

Feral cats are an invasive species in Australia, introduced by European colonists in the 18th century and have thrived. They are responsible for the deaths of millions of native animals. It is estimated that feral cats kill 3 million mammals, 1 million birds and 1.7 million reptiles in Australia every day. Feral cats have also caused the extinction of 28 species in Australia and are considered a major threat to more than 100 other species.

Thu Thao (According to Newsweek )

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