Feral cats underestimated in killings of reintroduced species

In 2024, the Minister for Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, declared that the Federal Government had reached a new frontier on what it called “a war on feral cats”.

In 2025, feral cats have been found to pose an even greater threat to translocation and conservation programs than previously thought; with a DNA study from researchers at UNSW finding that cats were significantly underestimated when attempting to identify the species responsible for the death of a translocated native animal using field evidence.

The study  highlights the similar behaviours shared by foxes and feral cats that impede on determining responsibility for the death of a translocated species, but also shows shows the benefits of DNA evidence based monitoring to native wildlife conservation programs.

Image: Image: Shutterstock – John Carnemolla

Produced By: Joseph Holland

Featured In Story: Professor Katherine Moseby (Researcher. UNSW), and Vanessa Cullen (Head of Media Relations, Animal Justice Party)

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 7 May 2025