Overview
- Kangaroo Island Council is considering a 'last cat policy' that would ban new cats, with the mayor stressing existing responsible pet owners would not lose their animals.
- Officials maintain a goal to eradicate feral cats island-wide by 2030, with any ban to be developed alongside the South Australian government and subject to consultation.
- On the Dudley Peninsula, about 2,800 cats have been removed and roughly 150 remain, with a 95% winter reduction forecast and two further years expected to reach and confirm zero.
- Funding includes an extra $1.61 million from the federal government in December on top of more than $3 million previously, plus $800,000 from South Australia this month, though project leaders seek a further $3.1 million federally for Dudley.
- Backers cite threats to more than 50 native species and toxoplasmosis linked to about $12 million in annual sheep production losses, warning that escaping undesexed pet cats could restart populations.