Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00220:reg:2:p5
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017C00220
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2 (pt 5/20)
Character Range: 39518–42513

into understanding interactions between feral cats and other predators: (i) in different landscapes; and (ii) any potential beneficial/perverse outcomes if other predator populations are modified
Feral cats have natural enemies or competitors in the other mammalian predators – the European red fox, wild dogs/dingoes (Canis species) and Tasmanian devils will all kill feral cats.  These species and quolls will compete with feral cats for food resources. Section 1.3 in the background document provides information on competition between feral cats and other species. For the purposes of this threat abatement plan wild dogs and dingoes are considered together because they freely inter-breed and there is a continuum of animals across the continent that contain varying degrees of dog and dingo DNA (Stephens, 2011). A great deal of recent research has focussed on interactions between feral cats and these other predators. Section 3.3 in the background document provides further information about the relationship between wild dogs/dingoes and feral cats. Although much of this work is ongoing and is not conclusive enough to make any broad-scale recommendations, an important theme is that relationships between the mammalian predators can vary in space and time. In some places European red foxes and/or dingoes seem likely to suppress feral cats (i.e. their numbers, behaviour or both) whilst in other parts of Australia one species appears to have little or no affect on the other (e.g. Fleming et al. 2012; Johnston and Ritchie 2012a; Allen et al. 2014; Allen et al. 2014a; Kennedy et al. 2012; Greenville et al. 2014; Wang and Fisher 2012). Further understanding these relationships, through research, is the focus of Action 1.3 so that land managers can make informed decisions about predator interactions when designing and implementing effective local management programs.

Action 1.4 Continue research into understanding the role of other major landscape modifiers, such as fire or grazing by introduced herbivores, in feral cat activities and control
Other landscape modifiers such as grazing, woody weeds and introduced grasses have a less obvious impact on predation by feral cats. However, these modifiers can affect feral cat hunting behaviour and success in positive and negative ways. Cats will respond to changes in landscapes through population changes or activity changes, including in response to:
           natural phenomena (for example: prey irruptions such as plague rat (Rattus villosissimus) and mice (Mus musculus) following good rains);
           landscape management (for example: prescribed burning or land clearing); and
           management programs for other invasive species (for example: an increase in rabbit numbers due to declining effectiveness of biocontrols may provide additional food for feral cats (Doherty et al. 2015)).
Research is providing insights into these responses, such as the preferential use by feral cats of areas recently burnt