Regional landholders have joined calls by a wildlife group to change an “archaic” rule that prohibits cats from being trapped and destroyed within 1 kilometre of a residence.
The council’s advocacy director, Jack Gough, said the restriction undermined the ongoing work to eradicate feral cats on Kangaroo Island and on the South Australian mainland.
Currently, the South Australian Dog and Cat Management Act only allows for seizure and destruction of cats if the cat is found more than 1 kilometre from a residence.
The number of little penguins on Kangaroo Island has fallen by 70 per cent since 2011, partly due to predation by feral cats. (Supplied: Invasive Species Council)
Mr Gough said the “relatively archaic legislation” had created “feral cat havens” and it was not necessary, particularly on Kangaroo Island where there is a current attempt to eradicate feral cats on the Dudley Peninsula.
“They tend to be the most cage-shy … some of the smarter cats … so you need that full array in order to be able to catch those last cats,” he said.
“That involves potentially the use of baiting, the use of AI tools like the Felixer that are being used and also soft jaw leg hold traps.”
A Felixer is a trap that uses laser beams to detect the shape and movement of a cat and spray it with toxic gel, which is ingested by the cat when it cleans itself.
“They’re all being used in the Kangaroo Island eradication right now as tools but just not within 1km of a dwelling,” Mr Gough said.
The highlighted areas on Kangaroo Island’s Dudley Peninsula are off limits for cat traps. (Supplied: Invasive Species Council)
Mr Gough said a radius of 150 metres would be a “reasonable change”, pointing out that other jurisdictions in Australia had no requirements around distance.
He said any changes would need to make sure that pet cats were not caught up in the removal of feral animals.
Eradication program
According to the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board, feral cats are a threat to the island’s native animals many of which are endangered, such as the dunnart, echidna and southern brown bandicoot.
A dead feral cat and dead birds that made up the contents of its stomach. (Supplied: Invasive Species Council)
Efforts to completely rid Kangaroo Island of feral cats began in 2016, with an initial aim of removing them completely by 2031.
The board and landholders removed 347 feral cats from the Dudley Peninsula, on the east side of the island, between December 2023 and September 2024.
Sheep farmer Andy Gilfillan, who lives on the Dudley Peninsula, said the feral cat population infected his livestock with the sarcocystis parasite, with his sheep becoming host animals.
“The cats poo on the paddocks and then the sheep come along and ingest the larvae,” he said.
He said while the parasite did not cause a debilitating disease for the sheep, meatworks preferred not to have it in the animals sent for slaughter.
“It’s meant we’ve been cut out of some process facilities because of the sarco,” he said.
Andy Gilfillan wants the government to change the feral cat law as soon as possible. (Supplied)
Mr Gilfillan said he hoped 1km restriction would change.
“Bottom line, it’s pretty tough we can’t manage these cats because of this legislation,” he said.
“It doesn’t leave a lot of areas for these traps.
“These soft leg hold traps are the answer because they can put a bit of cat scent around and attract the cats and then they’ve caught the cat and can deal with it from there.”
Ferals cats on Kangaroo Island eat wallabies, penguins, dunnarts, birds and other native animals. (Supplied: Invasive Species Council)
Changes under consideration
The South Australian government proposed a range of updates to the Dog and Cat Management Act in July.
SA Environment Minister Susan Close said the proposed reforms would make it easier for councils and other bodies to catch nuisance cats and return them to their owners.
“The proposed updates would also allow all property owners to undertake humane lethal feral cat controls on their property, as long as there is no other home within 1km,” Dr Close said.
“This update is aimed at allowing people in regional areas to deal with feral cats on their properties in a similar way to other pest animals, such as foxes.”
Public comment on the updates closed in September and Dr Close said her department and the Dog and Cat Management Board were currently assessing the feedback.
