Before you hop into a tantrum, please keep in mind, cats may be cute and cuddly, but they're also threatening to extinguish 100 different species in Australia. They're literally the #1 threat to Australia. That being said, hunting feral nuisance animals is pretty common practice throughout the world.

For instance, in America, we have a multitude of problems with wild animals. Predominantly the widespread and invasive wild pig. European by nature, but pure hell on hooves. Louisiana and swamp states have had the same problems and solutions for French nutria rats. The state literally paid hunters a few dollars per tail they brought in each day.

Now, hopefully the shock of cat-calling down under has worn off, and we can get to understanding a true problem.

According to the Australian Government:

Feral cats threaten the survival of over 100 native species in Australia. They have caused the extinction of some ground-dwelling birds and small to medium-sized mammals. They are a major cause of decline for many land-based endangered animals such as the bilby, bandicoot, bettong and numbat. Many native animals are struggling to survive so reducing the number killed by this introduced predator will allow their populations to grow.

 

Feral cats can carry infectious diseases which can be transmitted to native animals, domestic livestock and humans.

 

Feral cats are the same species as domestic cats, however they live and reproduce in the wild and survive by hunting or scavenging. They are found all over Australia in all habitats, including forests, woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and arid areas. The map illustrates the estimated abundance of feral cats across the country.

 

To which hunters across the continent responded to in the form of hunting. It's quick, humane, and probably something OKC should look into doing around Lake Hefner.

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