Kangaroo Island Cat Control Committee

Genetic Structure of Feral Cat Populations on Kangaroo Island

The effective, sustained control of pest animals such as feral cats requires that animals are removed from the population faster than they are replaced by births and immigration from surrounding areas. Consequently, pest control programs are likely to be most effective when immigration into the control area is minimal.

The Dudley Peninsula is connected to the main body of Kangaroo Island by a narrow isthmus, about 1 km wide at its narrowest point, which might act as a barrier to restrict migration. If the potential for migration of feral cats across the isthmus is relatively low, the Dudley Peninsula could be a useful management unit for extensive feral cat control because the rate at which cats are replaced by immigration would be low.

To determine if this is the case the Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board has been working with the Kangaroo Island Cat Control Committee (KICCC) since 2007 to collect genetic samples from feral cats. So far 105 genetic samples have been collected from across the island. Most of these samples have been provided by community members and the KICCC, in the form of small pieces of ear tissue cut from the carcasses of cats that have been shot, trapped or found as road kill. When combined with the location from where the samples were collected, the genetic data will provide valuable information on the structure of feral cat populations on the island.

In particular, analysis of the data should tell us whether cat populations on the Dudley Peninsula are sufficiently distinct from populations on other parts of the island to indicate low rates of migration onto the peninsula.

For more information contact:
Andrew Bengsen, Feral Animal Project Officer
Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board (08) 8553 4348.