Toxic sticky laser kills wild cats in Australia

A wild cat feeds on dead animals on a road in the outback of Australia. Photo: John Carnemolla/iStockphoto

Australian authorities are hunting wild cats with lasers to spray them with deadly poisonous mucus as part of a radical plan to reduce the population.

Wild cats are killing millions of native animals in the bush, from rare marsupials such as marsupials and bandicoots, to reptiles and birds.

They have led to the extinction of about 27 species and pose a threat to 100 surviving native species, especially small marsupials and ground birds.

The new deadly device uses lasers. to determine the profile of a wild cat so as not to accidentally target a local animal.

A box-shaped machine called the Felixer Grooming Trap then sprays a toxic gel on the cat.

The fox is a killing machine

The cat licks himself, trying to rid himself of the sticky substance, swallowing the deadly gel in the process.

Every time the device sprays the gel, it takes a picture so conservationists can check if it targeted the right creature.

«In thousands and thousands of tests, it was able to correctly identify a wild cat, not a local animal,» said Reece Whitby, Western Australian Environment Minister.

“These wild cats are incredibly destructive to native animals. We need to do something — this is a serious increase in our activity. We're trying to give local species a chance to fight this voracious predator.»

Felixer Grooming Trap splashes cats. with toxic gel. Photo: Scott Rapson/Thylation.

Solar-powered devices contain 20 sealed cartridges of toxic gel and automatically reset when triggered.

The device can also identify and spray foxes, which were brought to Australia by European settlers and have the same devastating effect on local wildlife.

They can even be programmed to play a range of sounds designed to attract feral cats. and foxes.

They are to be deployed at sites across Western Australia, but may be expanded to other states and territories subject to federal approval.

'New tool'

The technology was developed by Thylation, which describes it as «a new, humane and automated tool to help control wild cats and foxes.»

It states that feral cats are «notoriously difficult to control». as they are reluctant to take baits or traps», but notes that «all cats are finicky cleaners who groom themselves regularly.»

Tyling took advantage of this natural grooming behavior when developing Felixer.

The company has leased 16 devices to the Western Australian government.

While the state covers a wide area, proponents of the technology say the devices can be very effective if placed strategically in places with lots of cat footsteps, such as along fence lines or in a narrow ravine.

Devices will be used at sites across Western Australia. species.

According to experts from the Western Australian Wildcat Working Group, the devices are low maintenance and can be used where shooting cats may be unacceptable.

They will be used in tandem with traditional strategies such as large-scale baiting — Western Australia is required to spread up to 880,000 wild cat baits each year.

The rigs have been successfully tested against cats and foxes in a reserve called Arid Recovery in South Australia in 2020.< /p>

“We placed 20 Felixers in an area where we had about 50 wild cats, and we also had animals like bilbies and bettongs,” Katherine Moseby of the University of New South Wales told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Vulnerable < p>Bilbies are marsupials with large rabbit ears and pointed noses. Bettongs are small, hopping, mouse-like marsupials vulnerable to predation by foxes and cats.

“We watched cats die out over a six-week period and found that about two-thirds of cats were killed by Felixers,” said Ms Moseby.

“We were able to show quite conclusively that Felixers were successful in controlling cats in the area.”

Eradication Wildcats from Australia remain a huge if not an impossible problem.

“Wildcats are difficult to control as they occur in very low densities in large home ranges and are shy, making them difficult to spot. They are also extremely cautious by nature,” the Australian government said in a briefing on the issue. “Shooting cats is a laborious process and requires a lot of skill.”