Science takes on feral cats to save native fauna
Feral cats have been present in the Australian bush at least since European settlement, and possibly even much earlier.Not only do they prey on native fauna but they can transmit dangerous parasites and diseases. The extent, severity and impact of these diseases on native fauna is largely unknown.
The research alliance in the West has three major thrusts, with the ultimate objective being to help reverse the alarming decline in native fauna, particularly in the semi-arid and arid parts of W.A.
“CALM’s Western Shield program has resulted in an impressive increase in native fauna throughout the south west of the State in response to broad area fox control and fauna reintroductions” said CALM’s Director of Science Dr Neil Burrows.
“We are extending our Western Shield operations to the semi-arid and arid parts of the State where feral cats are a major threat. The ground breaking research by Murdoch Univeristy will complement the novel cat bait development work done by CALM scientists” he said.
Peter Adams, a PhD student, is investigating the role of feral cats in spreading potentially lethal parasites and diseases to native mammals across a broad geographic range, from south west forests to remote deserts.
Mr Adams is being supervised by Professor Andrew Thompson, Head of the Murdoch Parasitology Group, and Dr Neil Burrows, CALM’s Science Director.
“Toxoplasmosis is one of the most dangerous diseases spread by feral cats” said Professor Thompson.
“It may be contained in the faeces of feral cats and can contaminate the environment. When ingested by native mammals, toxoplasmosis can make them very sick and may be fatal” he said.
Professor Thompson said there were some problems involved in proving the link between toxoplasma and sickness in our native animals, particularly in obtaining specimens and detecting the parasite before the animal became sick.
“In the past, surveys on parasites in native animals were very difficult to do on living animals and were largely limited to opportunistic surveys using animals killed on the roads,” he said.
“What we are doing, is to develop molecular, DNA-based, tools as diagnostic tests which can be used to detect the parasite in the living animal,” said Mr Adams.
“Subsequently, these diagnostic tests could be used to detect toxoplasma in samples of faeces, blood or tissue, provided by CALM from native animals and feral cat populations around the State, as part of their ongoing monitoring programmes. The survey will also provide the first comprehensive data on what other parasites native fauna have, or may be susceptible to.”
“None of this would be possible without CALM’s resources,” said Professor Thompson.
An additional PhD student will also be funded by CALM to study the population genetics of feral cat populations in WA. The purpose of this research, is to use modern molecular genetics techniques to determine the origin of feral cats, and from this, determine approximately when they arrived in Australia.
“This information will help us to understand the role of the feral cat in patterns of native mammal declines and extinctions” said Dr Burrows. “We can then use this knowledge in developing feral cat control programmes,” he said. Dr Peter Spencer, from Perth Zoo and the CRC for the Conservation and Management of Marsupials, will jointly supervise this PhD study.
The research is being carried out in tandem with another project by Murdoch researchers Dr Cassandra Lawson and Joyce Eade, which aims to develop a vaccine to prevent feral cats from reproducing.
According to Professor Andrew Thompson, the three-pronged Murdoch research could help reverse an ongoing decline in native fauna populations around the State and enhance the success of re-introducing captive-bred animals into the wild.
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| Seaching for a vaccine: Dr Cassandra Lawson (left) and Joyce Eade. |
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