Journal article
Unexpectedly high densities of feral cats in a rugged temperate forest
MW Rees, JH Pascoe, BA Wintle, M Le Pla, EK Birnbaum, BA Hradsky
Biological Conservation | ELSEVIER SCI LTD | Published : 2019
Abstract
Effective invasive predator management requires accurate knowledge of population density. However, density can be difficult to estimate for wide-ranging, cryptic and trap-shy species, such as the feral cat Felis catus. Consequently, few density estimates exist for this invasive predator of global significance, particularly from rugged, mesic or structurally complex habitats where detection is challenging. In this study, we estimated feral cat density in the wet forests and cool temperate rainforests of the Otway Ranges, south-eastern Australia, to (1) provide a density estimate for this rarely surveyed habitat type, and (2) verify predictions from a continental-scale model of feral cat densi..
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Awarded by University of Melbourne
Funding Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the Gadabanud people on whose traditional lands this study took place. Surveys were conducted under University of Melbourne Animal Ethics Committee approval 1714119.5 and Victorian Government Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning Research Permit 10008273. We thank Luke Woodford and Hugh McGregor for contributing to cat identification, and Shauni Omond, Shayne Neal, Asitha Samarawickrama, Shelley Thompson, Lani Watson, Mark Dorman, Jack Davis, Carl Roffey, Bruce Edley and Larissa Oliveira Goncalves for fieldwork assistance. This study was generously supported by the Conservation Ecology Centre, the Victorian Government Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning, Parks Victoria, and the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub. MR also receives support from an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.