Monitoring and detection of feral cats on Auckland Island
Alistair S. Glen, Rachael Sagar, Talia Brav‐Cubitt, Paul F. Jacques
Abstract
In order to conserve important biodiversity values, eradication of feral cats (Felis catus) is planned on Auckland Island in the New Zealand subantarctic region. This eradication will require detailed knowledge of the abundance, distribution, movement behaviour and detection probability of cats on the island. We investigated these parameters on a peninsula at the northern end of the island using live trapping, camera trapping, and scat searches with and without detection dogs. Here, we compare the results of these methods, and discuss their utility for the planned eradication.
Topics & Concepts
Feral catEcologyGeographyIntroduced speciesInvasive speciesPredationBiologyFelis catusHuman-Animal Interaction StudiesWildlife Ecology and ConservationAnimal Ecology and Behavior Studies