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<\/p>\nWhen farmer Greg Squires noticed feral cats darting across his sheep paddocks during the day, he knew he had a serious problem.<\/p>\n
His property at Kelso is near the mouth of the Tamar River, about 50 kilometres north-west of Launceston.<\/p>\n
The estuary and reserves that hug the coastline are home to a range of vulnerable native species, including the hooded plover, Tasmanian devils, spotted-tailed quolls and eastern barred bandicoot.<\/p>\n
“The scientists will tell you that the feral cats will eat about 100 kilos of native wildlife a year,” Mr Squires said.<\/p>\n
“If you’ve got 10 cats, they’re probably eating about a tonne.”<\/p>\n
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Landcare volunteers have been trapping feral cats on farms and public reserves in the lower West Tamar since 2019. (Supplied: Peter Voller)<\/p>\n
Feral cats also spread diseases to humans and livestock.<\/p>\n
They can carry toxoplasmosis, which can lead to significant abortions of lambs in sheep flocks.<\/p>\n
Greg Squires knew his trapping efforts alone would not be enough to slow cat numbers or their migration.<\/p>\n
So, in 2019, he enlisted the help of volunteers from West Tamar Landcare.<\/p>\n
They collaborated with government, environmental agencies, local communities and an experienced trapper to develop a program to trap feral cats across 6,500 hectares.<\/p>\n
The program targeted colony cats that live away from people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u00a0Greg Squires called on his local Landcare group to help trap feral cats on his farm and across the district. (ABC Rural: Laurissa Smith)<\/p>\n
For the past few years, traps were set over four weeks from late autumn and early winter in remote locations and checked daily.<\/p>\n
“I think in the first year we caught 35 feral cats,” Mr Squires said.<\/p>\n
“That was between here, Greens Beach, Badger Head and Clarence Point.<\/p>\n
“This year we caught 13.”<\/p>\n
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Some of the West Tamar Landcare volunteers involved with feral cat trapping on farms. (ABC Rural: Laurissa Smith)<\/p>\n
Devil numbers growingAI poison devices fighting feral cats<\/a><\/p>\n Feral cats outnumber two endangered bird species on King Island two to one \u2014 but conservationists are hopeful AI-powered poison traps will help keep the birds going.<\/p>\n The traps on farms, Crown reserves and national parks have not just been catching cats.<\/p>\n Native wildlife are also attracted to the chicken and sardine bait inside the cages.<\/p>\n West Tamar Landcare chair, Peter Voller, admitted bycatch had been unavoidable.<\/p>\n Between May and June this year, volunteers caught and released 56 Tasmanian devils.<\/p>\n Landcare volunteers have been encouraged by the number of devils they’ve trapped that are free of devil facial tumour disease. (Supplied: Peter Voller)<\/p>\n Mr Voller said it was a significant increase from five years ago.<\/p>\n “Fortunately for us, what seems to have happened is, as we’ve removed the cat population from these communities, the devil population has responded at the same time.<\/p>\n “The numbers of devils through the traps now, suggest there’s a domination of those marsupials over the ferals.<\/p>\n “And there’s hope that the cats might be controlled by devils, through eating kittens.”<\/p>\n 17-year Tasmanian devil study’s message of cautious hope<\/a><\/p>\n An insidious cancer has ravaged Tasmanian devil populations in recent decades but researchers are now optimistic devil numbers can bounce back.<\/p>\n Mr Voller said he was pleased the devils were in good health, too, adding there had been “no sign of devil facial tumour disease”, a highly-contagious affliction which has killed large numbers of devils in Tasmania<\/a>.<\/p>\n “They’re all genders, all ages; the devil throughput has been phenomenal and the response has been so profound across the regions that we’re working in.”<\/p>\n He said it was “really encouraging for the recovery of the species”.<\/p>\n As a result of further monitoring, the trapping program has moved away from areas where devil tracks dominate the landscape and feral cat numbers have declined.<\/p>\n The reserve behind Greens Beach has been a hotspot for feral cats in the past. (Supplied: Peter Voller)<\/p>\n Removing feral cats permanently\u00a0<\/p>\n The Landcare volunteers will continue trapping feral cats as needed, but they hope populations will eventually disappear from the environment.<\/p>\n Scientific research is underway that could help achieve that, through the National Feral Cat and Biobank Genomics Initiative.<\/p>\n![\"an](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/acd89af17f6113e868802803abc94302.jpeg\")
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