Push for 24-hour cat curfew

Australia, known for risky animals such as the inland taipan (the world’s most venomous snake) and drop bears (real) is facing an animal crisis that’s been building for the past 200 years.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt has said the advice he has received is that the cats number 20 million across the country and devour countless native animals every night.

The federal government has ruled out forcing cat owners to keep their pets inside 24-7, despite evidence showing a curfew would prevent the death of native wildlife.

A new feral cat plan recommends fostering public support for 24-hour containment requirements for domestic cats, particularly close to identified conservation areas of significance.

Introduced two centuries ago by European settlers, cats are considered among the most risky pests in Australia along rabbits and red foxes.

The ban comes in the wake of Australia announcing its plans to kill over 2 million feral cats by 2020.

There are people who won’t like the curfew – some veterinarians are anxious about the physical and behavioral effects this could have on Australia’s cat population. “So if you assume four animals a day, that’s carnage of 80 million native animals a day”. Part of the initiative will involve community monitoring of feral cats, as well as trapping programs. It contains a toxic compound that stops the flow of oxygen. Speaking last week, the French actress Brigitte Bardot said the country was “sullied by the blood of millions of innocent animals”.

It is thought that some 1,800 species are under threat in Australia.

It would only apply to areas which also act as habitat to threatened species.