CATS IN NEW ZEALAND COULD FACE SIMILAR HARSH AUSTRALIAN RULES IF THEY DON’T STOP KILLING WILDLIFE
Source: Newshub (Extract)
Posted: April 21, 2022
Cats in New Zealand are notorious for killing native wildlife and people are sick of it.
In New Zealand, we may be sitting on our paws about this, but over in Australia, there is a big move to keep the cats away so the birds can play.
Across the ditch, there is a law where cats need to stay on a leash or be kept indoors rather than roaming free.
From July, cats in Canberra will have to be kept indoors and cat owners can be fined up to $1,500 if their feline friends are roaming freely.
The Opportunites Party leader Gareth Morgan reckons they are not feeding on native birds for consumption.
“It’s got nothing to do with hunger, they just love killing things.”
We certainly love our pet cats, with 1.4 million of them residing in 40 percent of households.
Feral cats are also reported to be in the millions, but they’re predators.
Pet cats kill at least 1.12 million native birds a year.
Our favourite alpine parrots, the Kea, have gone into hiding because of feral cats.
Meanwhile, in Kaikōura, free-range domestic moggies are decimating colonies of native banded dotterels.
“A lot of this is to do with the fact that our birdlife and wildlife have evolved in absence of mammalian predators. This isn’t about being anti-cat, this is about being pro our wildlife and protecting them,” Kea Conservationist chair Tasmin Orr-Walker told The Project.
Animal behaviourist Mat Ward thinks cats who are not used to being indoors would be frustrated.
“I think a cat who has spent their entire life in the great outdoors, there probably would be a bit of frustration.
“Cat videos are a very useful addition for an indoor cat-only household and that could be anything from a wee window box in an apartment to a larger type if set up. And many cats love to pound the treadmill to get some miles under their belt if they don’t have access to the outdoors.”
