Work begins on 3km fence on Kangaroo Island to eradicate wild cats from Dudley Peninsula
A 3km-long fence is being built on Kangaroo Island as part of work to eradicate wild cats in the region – but not everybody is happy about the project.
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Work has started on Kangaroo Island’s 3km long cat-proof fence, in a bid to wipe out the animals in the region.
The $180,000, 1.8m high floppy-top fence will isolate Dudley Peninsula from the rest of the island, extending between Pelican Lagoon and the southern coast.
KI NRM Board presiding member Andrew Heinrich said eradicating wild cats would benefit threatened native species and the livestock industry.
“It is well known that feral cats are the main predator of our threatened species, many of which have their last refuge on the island, but farmers also know that cats are the main carriers for several diseases such as toxoplasmosis and sarcocystosis that hit farmer’s pockets hard,” Mr Heinrich said.
The fence will feature four gaps – two to make way for roads and two gated gaps for public access and maintenance.
It extends 200m into Pelican Lagoon, past the low tide mark.
A Natural Resources KI spokesman said the initial plan was to monitor the gaps to study animal movement and after that, it would decide on closing the gaps, where possible or installing “animal aversion devices other techniques” to stop cats passing through.
This could include Felixer traps, which analyse animal body shapes and shoot 1080 poison on passing cats, killing the animals after they groom themselves.
Catherine Harding, who owns accommodation adjacent to the fence line, has raised concerns about the proposal’s impact on her property’s visual appeal.
She is also worried about the welfare impacts of using 1080 poison – a killing method which the RSPCA has advocated against, because it is considered inhumane.
She said she did not want the fence and Felixer machines as “a welcome mat” at the entrance of her holiday accommodation, which was rented out to families for most of the year.
“Walkers and cyclists also use the old Hog Bay Rd where one of these fence gaps with automated poison spray will be positioned,” she said.
“The proposed Pelican Lagoon fence gap with this ammunition is in an area that regularly floods at high tide.
“Is this sounding like an eco-friendly philosophy and one that fits with Kangaroo Island’s pristine image?”
Ms Harding said Pelican Lagoon’s natural beauty should be celebrated and “not marred with a poorly placed science experiment”.
The Natural Resources said it had worked with all neighbouring landholders to reduce visual and access impacts, including planting a native tree line to obscure the fence.
The fence route was selected after other options were ruled out due to the need to remove native vegetation, and a landowner withdrawing their agreement.
Natural Resources KI manager Damian Miley said while 1080 was one of the “tools” being used in the cat eradication program, other options were being considered.
“A trial of the grooming traps has shown they are very accurate in targeting feral cats, and on rare occasions when other animals have been targeted, they have not been animals that groom themselves, and therefore have not ingested the poison,” Mr Miley said.