THE feral cat problem will never be controlled until a government bounty is introduced, a Framlingham land owner says.
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Lester Byrne lives beside the Hopkins River surrounded by trees and shrubs to encourage native birds, but feral cats are having a major impact on the fauna.
“There should be a bounty on cats, similar to the fox bounty. But I don’t think it’s likely because cats don’t affect a commercial industry in the way that foxes do,” Mr Byrne said.
The state government pays $10 each for fox scalps in an effort to reduce the impact on the sheep industry.
“This is a great area for native birds and we see many that are becoming rare. But there are so many feral cats that the birds don’t really have a chance.”
Mr Byrne has lived at his Framlingham block since retiring from the horse racing industry seven years ago.
In that time he has trapped and shot many cats. Trapping and shooting is all he can do personally, but he says the problem needs to be attacked from a wider base by offering a bounty to get more people involved in their eradication. Mr Byrne said the feral cat problem was exacerbated by some householders putting out food in a misguided gesture of kindness.
Laws on keeping cats vary from council to council, with many requiring the animals to be confined indoors at night. State legislation requires that they be registered and microchipped for identification.
The Department of Environment and Primary Industries was yesterday unable to comment on the concept of a bounty as the minister Peter Walsh is away on a trade mission.
The idea has been raised in the past and met with opposition on the grounds that it could lead to pets being shot.
