Feline Encounters Down Under: Investigating the Activity of Cats and Native Wildlife at Sydney’s North Head

Title
Feline Encounters Down Under: Investigating the Activity of Cats and Native Wildlife at Sydney’s North Head
Author(s)
Kennedy, Brooke P A
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1337-9705
Email: bkenne27@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:bkenne27
Clemann, Anna
Ma, Gemma C
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
MDPI AG
Place of publication
Switzerland
DOI
10.3390/ani14172485
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/62814
Abstract

Cats (Felis catus) are widespread across Australia, including within natural and protected areas, and in many areas, cats, including owned domestic cats, are not restricted in where or when they can roam. In Australia, cats have contributed to the decline of many native species and continue to be a problem for governments. North Head, Manly, is home to an endangered population of Long-nosed Bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) and the only mainland breeding colony of Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) in New South Wales (NSW). Camera traps were installed for a 5-week period across North Head to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of cat activity. As well as capturing instances of cats, the cameras detected native animals such as birds, possums, Long-nosed Bandicoots and other small mammals. An analysis of the camera images showed cats could be found within protected areas of the headland (where cats are prohibited) and along the boundary with the adjacent suburban area of Manly. Cats were mostly detected during the night. There were high occurrences of overlap between cats and Long-nosed Bandicoots (Dhat 0.82), possums (Dhat 0.88) and other small mammals (Dhat 0.67). These findings indicate that cats are active across the Manly headland at the same time as native animals, both within protected areas where cats are prohibited and in adjacent residential areas, and this could have implications for these populations.

Link
Citation
Animals, 14(17), p. 1-16
ISSN
2076-2615
Start page
1
End page
16
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

Files:

NameSizeformatDescriptionLink
openpublished/FelineKennedy2024JournalArticle.pdf 9568.081 KB application/pdf View document