Hornsby Shire Council, New South Wales, has received praise from Federal Minister for the Environment, Melissa Price, for its innovative feral cat management program.
The Minister said, “I welcome and encourage actions taken by local government authorities to deliver practical, on-ground action for feral pest management, while also supporting responsible pet ownership.
“Through programs such as these, councils can support their community in caring for their pets and maintain a healthy local environment at the same time.”
Mayor, Philip Ruddock, described the cat trapping program, which has so far removed almost 90 feral cats from the environment, as a proactive way to protect the local native wildlife.
“Cats inflict a very heavy toll and it’s estimated they kill as many as 377 million birds in Australia each year.”
Councillor Nathan Tilbury, who suggested the trapping measures that have been adopted, said, “Not only do we need to take feral cats out of our local National Parks but we also need to limit the number of cats that enter native bushland in the first place.”
Local community members, Peter and Patsy Marshall, have found a great compromise between cat ownership and wildlife protection.
Mr Marshall said, “We have built a significant cat run on our property to provide our pets with appropriate stimulation and at the same time protecting local wildlife.”
Federal Member for Berowra Julian Leeser had high praise for the Marshalls and Hornsby Shire Council for their efforts.
“Hornsby Council’s has recently commenced a trial Feral Cat Trapping Program, with great result.
“We are supporting this work with a greater focus on microchipping and de-sexing for pet cats. We are also improving cat registration processes and providing education for pet owners.”
