Australia has a feral cat problem and has plans to eliminate them. When we read 2 million free-roaming cats were being targeted, our ears perked up and we had to report the story. Yes, we're reporting the facts and we're looking at the elimination of 2 million cats. By 2020, the government wants to kill two million free-roaming cats, which is estimated to be between 2 and 6 million. They are the single biggest threat to Australia's native species.
How did this problem begin? CNN tells us,
"They were first introduced by European settlers and drove an estimated 20 mammal species to extinction."
Please enable Javascript to view this content
Gregory Andrews, national commissioner of threatened species explains, that feral cats are the single biggest threat to Australia's native species. The Australian government's plan to combat the deadly creatures is to eliminate them.
The government is planning to drop lethal sausages from planes.
Australia wants to kill 2 million cats ? the feral ones that hunt native wildlife. Lethal sausages dropped from planes are just part of the plan. https://t.co/pViVwxHysi
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 26, 2019
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x76p1cl
PETA Australia tells us,
"Trapping and, if necessary, euthanizing feral cats is the only way to take these animals out of the environment humanely. As a preventive measure, more states need to introduce laws requiring cat guardians to have their animals desexed - as South Australia and Western Australia have already done - and to keep their cats indoors, as is already mandatory in areas of Canberra and Melbourne."
The feral cat population is considered an invasive species to the region and is killing off indigenous animals. New Zealand has also proposed a cat-free future.
For cats, native species like birds are easy prey. Cats are believed to kill more than 1 million native birds, and 1.7 million reptiles across Australia every day, according to CNN's story.
Not everyone is on board and animal rights activists like PETA are proposing alternative plans. Other notable critics of the plan include British singer Morrissey and Brigitte Bardot.
We'd love to hear your thoughts about this problem. Please leave a comment below.
WATCH NOW: Pets Lead to Good Health
