New Zealand Kills Feral Cat After 3-Year Hunt, Ending Attacks That Wiped Out 1% of Rare Ducks
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 4
New Zealand Kills Feral Cat After 3-Year Hunt, Ending Attacks That Wiped Out 1% of Rare Ducks
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 4
Summary
30 July brought the breakthrough: trappers caught “Nine Lives” in a cage at a Northland quarry and humanely shot the feral cat after a three-year pursuit.
Three straight nights at the same quarry gave Pest Free Purerua an unusual pattern to exploit, prompting baited cages with salmon, fried chicken and rabbit after years of erratic sightings.
The large grey tabby is blamed for killing dozens of pāteke—about 1% of New Zealand’s rarest mainland duck population—including 15 birds soon after a 2023 release and another 15 in 2024.
Its stomach contents will be examined before the body is taxidermied for education, as the case fuels New Zealand’s fierce debate over feral cats and native wildlife protection.
More than 2.5 million feral cats roam New Zealand, and officials added them to the Predator-Free 2050 strategy in November; the peninsula team now hopes to resume pāteke reintroductions.