To find feral cats, we could turn to their nemesis for help

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-22 00:01

Australia; QLD; WA; TAS

Simon Gatdula

Dogs and their superpowered sense of smell could be key to monitoring feral cats in Western Australia's wheatbelt. In Tutanning Nature Reserve, Australian researchers put dogs to the test, scattering cat poo in the woodlands for the animals to track. When the poo was nice and fresh, the dogs were able to effectively locate it from up to 50m away, the researchers say. They believe dogs could help keep an eye on feral cat numbers in the region as part of efforts to control the population.

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Research CSIRO Publishing, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: Wildlife Research

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Tasmania, Latitude 42 Environmental Consultants, Tasmania

Funder: and support were provided by the Foundation for Australia’sMost Endangered Species (FAME), the Australian Government’s Landcare Program, the Numbat Task Force, and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

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