CALLS FOR NATIONAL CAT ACT AFTER ENTIRE POPULATION OF ROBINS WIPED OUT

It’s believed an entire population of North Island robins in Wellington has been wiped out by cats – sparking calls for urgent action to create a ‘National Cat Act’.

This would require owners to desex and microchip their feline friends.

The cats were caught in the act, raiding a nest of robin chicks in Wellington’s Waimapihi Reserve. About 12 cats were captured multiple times on different trail cameras.

Lisa Whittle is part of a team of locals who have been trapping pests and banding robins in the reserve, and is devastated by the cats’ actions.

“Basically it is wiping out the population we have in our own native bush,” she said.

The North Island robin, the toutouwai, flies over the fence from the Zealandia sanctuary, but despite the trapping eradicating almost all the stoats, weasels and rats, a group of about 60 banded robins have vanished. Autopsies on some birds confirmed they were killed by cats. 

“We watch them for about six weeks then they just disappear. It’s unbelievable in a way that we’ve had that many birds… that don’t even live to two years when they could be having a full ten-year life cycle,” she said.

Currently just eight of our 63 councils have bylaws requiring owners to microchip and desex their cats. In August last year a Parliamentary select committee report recommended a nationwide cat Act – which the Government say it is still considering.

Jessi Morgan, the Predator Free NZ Trust CEO, said action is needed now.

“What we really need now is politicians to step up and make it happen. What we’re currently doing isn’t working, we need to do it differently. A National Cat Act would provide consistency across the country – but also, cats currently are a really grey area legislatively,” she said.

Department of Conservation (DoC) director terrestrial biodiversity Hilary Aikman said the department has been working with the Department of Internal Affairs and Ministry for Primary Industries to consider this recommendation and will respond to the committee in coming weeks.

Morgan said a national cat law would reduce the number of strays and make it easy to identify whether a cat is feral or a pet. That’s important for the Predator Free 2050 strategy because it’s being reviewed this year with a proposal to include controls on feral cats.

“If we’re really going to make NZ predator-free we can’t leave cats roaming around the country, or our biodiversity won’t flourish,” said Morgan.

Aikman said the review will include the target predators for Predator Free 2050 (currently rats, possums and mustelids) and will address the question of whether feral cats should be included.

“Consulting with the New Zealand public about any changes to the strategy will be an important part of the review process. DoC is the government lead for the Predator Free 2050 programme and has a legislated mandate to manage feral cats on public conservation land to protect native wildlife. The management of companion and stray cats sits outside of DoC’s mandate,” she said.

As for the more than 1 million Kiwis with a pet cat, she said people need to remember they are an apex predator and the more they can be kept inside, especially at night, the better.

“It’s a cultural shift for New Zealanders, but keeping your cat at home is the best thing for your cat, and wildlife,” she said.