Did Australia Plan to Reduce the Feral Cat Population Using Poisoned Sausages?
No, Australia did not plan to reduce the feral cat population using poisoned sausages. In 2015, the Australian government proposed a plan to cull 2 million feral cats by 2020 in order to protect native species like the bilby, quokka and numbats. The government proposed a range of methods to reduce the population such as trapping, shooting and poisoning. The use of poisoned sausages was not a part of the plan.
The proposal was met with considerable criticism from animal rights activists who argued that killing cats was unnecessary and inhumane. The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) also said that they did not support the use of baiting, shooting or trapping as a means of controlling feral cat populations.
The AVA argued that feral cats posed a serious threat to native wildlife, but the risk could be managed through other methods such as cat sterilization and relocation. They recommended that the government focus on preventing cats from entering areas with threatened species and restoring habitat.In response to these criticisms, the government revised their plan. They agreed to reduce the target population of feral cats to 1 million and to focus on using non-lethal methods such as sterilization, relocation and habitat restoration.
