Warning over feral invader raiding Aussie homes: 'More than we've ever seen'
South Australian man Tate, from Mount Gambier in the state's southeast, is a volunteer hunter. Speaking to Yahoo News, he said Australia's battle against introduced pests needs much more attention, with livestock farmers in particular copping the brunt of the destruction.
Tate, who has been hunting foxes and feral cats for years, said the situation is "getting well out of hand". He warned that cats in particular are "a massive danger to our native wildlife", with there being "more feral cats than we've ever seen in the past."
This week, he shared images online of a ginger cat he recently intercepted. Tate said the example is merely the tip of the iceberg. "I believe feral cats are a little bit worse than foxes, but they're both a huge problem," he said. "And it's without a doubt getting worse."
The South Australian said the foxes where he lives have become so emboldened they even search for food on the streets in town. "They're just all over, and they can be very cruel," he said. "I had a lady recently who had seven chickens, and one came in, took a chicken and killed the rest for no reason.
"Another farmer, he's got a feral cat problem, and he's got an aviary of budgies and parrots and stuff, and the cat actually chewed its way through the aviary wire to get to these birds. It's pretty gruesome, to be honest with you."
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Tate, who runs the South East Vermin Control page, said these local examples provide just a glimpse into the broader issue around the country, with native wildlife, and small mammals in particular, in many cases being forced to the brink of extinction.
"Some states like Victoria have bounties on foxes, and we need them for cats too," he said. "That would entice people to get out there and make a dent in these populations. Even if it's $5 to $8 a scalp or something like that — that's still going to cover your ammo for the night."
"The farmers are looking after their own properties, but all the other recreational hunters are like, well, why the hell would I waste my fuel and my ammo to go look after someone else's property if I'm not going to get anything out of it?"
Feral cats and red foxes have had a devastating impact on Australia's unique ecosystems, contributing significantly to the country's status as having the worst mammal extinction rate in the world.
Together, they've helped drive over 25 native species to extinction, and continue to threaten more than 100 others — including small marsupials, ground-nesting birds, and reptiles — many of which occur nowhere else on Earth.
Feral cats are considered one of the most damaging invasive species in Australia. Estimates suggest they kill more than 1.5 billion native animals every year, with even low-density populations capable of wiping out vulnerable species in a region. Their economic impact is also staggering.
According to research, feral cats cost the Australian economy around $1 billion a year, including expenses for control efforts, ecological damage, and biodiversity loss. Foxes, introduced in the 19th century for recreational hunting, similarly prey on native wildlife, but also affect agriculture by attacking livestock and poultry. While they're often less numerous than cats, foxes can be just as ecologically destructive in areas where native species haven't evolved defences against such efficient predators.
Together, these invasive carnivores have reshaped the Australian landscape by decimating populations of native animals, destabilising ecosystems, and creating costly challenges for conservation and agriculture.
Their presence is a key reason why efforts to recover threatened species often require large-scale predator control or the creation of fenced sanctuaries to give native wildlife a fighting chance.
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