Indigenous animals die too much, Australia seeks to destroy 6 million feral cats

Australia could use genetic engineering to wipe out 6 million feral cats, the ferocious god that kills hundreds of millions of native mammals, birds and reptiles each year.

Through the genetic biological control option, the Australian government can protect native wildlife and eradicate invasive feral cats, which are causing widespread ecological damage.

Wild cats in Australia. (Photo: Andrew Cooke)

Wild cats are a problem that causes headaches for Australian authorities. They are second only to European rabbits in terms of threat level to native animals. It is estimated that feral cats and foxes massacred 25 species of native mammals in Australia. Together with rabbits, feral pigs and a plant pathogen, they endanger 800 endangered species. Each year, feral cats in Australia kill 530 million frogs and reptiles, 450 million mammals and 270 million birds.

In 2015, the Australian government announced plans to kill 2 million feral cats by 2020. Measures include placing decoys, shooting and spraying poison. In one plan, the government dropped toxic sausages on areas with large numbers of feral cats. Even so, feral cats continue to threaten native animals. In a report published by the government's research agency CSIRO, experts set out a roadmap to control the invasive species.

Andy Sheppard, CSIRO scientist who co-authored the report, said it was urgent for the government to take action to stop the spread of feral cats. One of the technologies covered in the report is genetic control, which has great potential to help prevent new invasive species. Genetic control involves using genes that make invasive species susceptible to disease. Another method is to introduce large numbers of sterile individuals into the population to limit reproduction.

Researchers can also genetically modify animals so that they produce offspring of only one sex, gradually losing the ability to reproduce. Genetic control options such as breeding offspring of the same sex can dramatically change the fight against invasive species such as carp, cane toads, rats and feral cats.

Currently, Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction in the world. Climate change and extreme weather events are contributing to the spread of invasive species. Wild cats often target land that has recently experienced wildfire, so prey like the pygmy marsupial has nowhere to hide.

Andreas Ganzing, co-author of the report, stressed all Australians need to work together to stop the invasive species. 'Together we can work together to reduce the extinction rate of native animals in Auatralia from four species in a decade to zero. The technology available to help create surveillance networks in the community, allowing people get involved and detect new invasive species early before they become a problem," Ganzing said.