Shooters to target feral cats in NSW national parks amid boom in population

A five-person team of expert shooters will soon target feral cats in New South Wales national parks as the state steps up efforts to control the pest animals.

The intensive ground operation is being deployed in response to increased cat numbers, according to National Parks and Wildlife Service deputy secretary, Atticus Fleming.

“Intensive, well-targeted ground shooting operations will now be part of an enhanced strategy including trials of cat baits, deployment of innovative cat traps, establishing large feral-cat free areas and exploring genetic controls,” he said in a statement.

Related: From beloved pet to biodiversity villain: what now for Australia’s cats?

Jack Gough, advocacy director at the Invasive Species Council, welcomed the “modest investment” in improved feral cat management. He said he hoped it would involve long-term funding for the positions, and be part of a broader plan for controlling both feral and roaming pet cats.

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“Every day, 5 million native mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs are killed by feral and roaming pet cats in Australia,” he said.

“Feral cats have sent at least 25 of our native species extinct since they were introduced by Europeans over 200 years ago,” Gough said. “Large numbers of our native species are at direct risk of going extinct because of the impacts of feral cats and because they are such effective hunters and killers.”

Populations of feral cats, deer, pigs and invasive weeds often increased in response to rainfall and seasonal conditions, Gough explained.

Feral cats “breed up very fast”, he said. “We’ve had a couple of really good seasons in terms of rainfall, and that means that the level of feed, the level of prey, has gone up.”

“It’s not unexpected that the numbers [of feral cats] have increased. And when the numbers increase, the pressure on our native species increases as well.”

In September, the federal government announced funding for 55 feral cat control projects, and said it would release an updated national threat abatement plan later this year.

Containing the problem would require significant ongoing effort and funding from both national and state governments, Gough said, as well as the full range of tools, including ground shooting, trapping, baiting and new artificial intelligence tools.

“On top of this, we really need Premier Minns to move on the issue of bringing in clear rules about cat containment,” he said. This would bring NSW into line with the majority of other states, enabling councils to stop “roaming pets killing our neighbourhood wildlife and sending our suburbs silent”.

Some animal rights groups have opposed the use of lethal control methods for non-native species.

The Animal Justice party said while it recognised the environmental impact of non-native species, including cats, it objected to the term “feral” and supported research and policy that focused on non-lethal methods of control.

It advocated “responsible animal guardianship”, which includes keeping companion animals safe in their homes to prevent accidental breeding and abandonment.

In the Australian Capital Territory, all cats born after July 2022 must be contained on a person’s premises, with several suburbs declared cat containment areas for nature conservation reasons – meaning no cat of any age can roam further afield.