Abstract
Predation by feral cats (Felis catus) has caused the extinction of many native species in Australia and globally. There is growing evidence that the impacts of feral cats can be amplified in post-fire environments, as cats are drawn to hunt in or around recently burnt areas and are also more effective hunters in open habitats. In 2018–2019, we established arrays of camera traps to estimate the abundance of feral cats on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Much of the island (including five of our seven survey sites) was subsequently burnt in a severe wildfire (December 2019–February 2020). We re-sampled the sites 3–8 months post-fire (seven sites) and 11–12 months post-fire (three sites). At two unburnt sites sampled post-fire, it was possible to produce density estimates of cats using a spatially explicit capture–recapture approach. Where estimating density was not possible (due to low detections or individual cats not being distinguishable), the number of individuals and percentage of trap nights with detections was compared between the sampling periods. Some low-level cat control occurred within 2 km of three of the seven arrays (all within the burn scar) within 3 months of the fire. Across the five burnt sites, there was a decline in cat detections post-fire (including those without post-fire cat control). At 3–8 months post-fire, there was, on average, a 57% reduction in the number of individual cats, and a 65% reduction in the number of nights with cat detections, relative to pre-fire levels. Although cat detections declined following the fire, reduced population sizes of prey species and reduced cover as a result of the fire might still mean that cat predation is a threat to some surviving prey species. Management that reduces feral cat predation pressure on wildlife following wildfire should enhance the likelihood of post-fire wildlife persistence and recovery.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 600-615 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Austral Ecology |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The data collation, analysis and preparation of this paper were supported by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program (Threatened Species Recovery Hub) and the Kangaroo Island Landscapes Board.
Funding Information:
Study methods were approved by Charles Darwin University’s Animal Ethics Committee (Permit Number A20021), and the South Australian Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources (Scientific Research Permit Y26970-1). Big thanks to everyone who helped with fieldwork including James Smith, Georgina Smith, Manfred, Kelly Gledhill, Jody Gates, Matt Heard and other employees from the fire recovery team at the South Australian Department of Environment and Water. Open access publishing facilitated by Charles Darwin University, as part of the Wiley - Charles Darwin University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Austral Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Ecological Society of Australia.