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Mountain Scene
July 29, 2021
By GUY WILLIAMS
A Queenstown cat welfare group’s trial programme to release feral cats on rural properties to manage rabbit and rodent populations ‘‘comes from a good place’’ but is misguided, the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) says.
NZVA chief veterinary officer, Dr Helen Beattie, says she shares Predator Free NZ’s concerns about the impact it could have on native wildlife.
Cats are ‘‘not specific in their hunting behaviour’’, and when released on rural properties will also hunt native species such as skinks, lizards and birds, Beattie says.
As reported in
Mountain Scene this month, QT Community Cats is trialling a programme in which it traps, desexes and releases feral cats on rural properties to manage rabbit and rodent populations.
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Tuesday, 27 July 2021, 4:10 pm
The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) has added
its voice to the concerns already expressed by the Central
Otago community and Predator
Free NZ about feral cats being released
onto rural properties in an attempt to manage rabbit and
rodent populations. We acknowledge that the intention
of the programme comes from a good place. However, we share
concerns about the impacts these cats will have on the
native wildlife population, says Dr Helen Beattie, NZVA’s
Chief Veterinary Officer. There is no guarantee that
the cats will only hunt rabbits and rodents. Native species
will also be hunted, as we know that cats are not specific