Australia's bold battle: Tech and hunters target feral cats

Up to five million animals. That's the daily number of victims - mammals, reptiles, birds - accounted for by feral house cats in Australia. These four-legged serial killers face the threat of meeting a gun barrel.

Australia is declaring war on cats. Although it sounds absurd, the problem is serious. Feral house cats kill in the Land of Kangaroos about 1.5 billion animals annually - warns the Department of Environment and National Heritage of New South Wales.

The authorities of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, have appointed a team of five hunters to tackle the problem of these small killers. The group will scour national parks for feral cats to cull.

Europeans brought cats to the Land of Kangaroos over 200 years ago. Since then, they have contributed to the extinction of at least 25 native Australian animal species. The past few years have provided exceptionally favourable conditions for cats to breed uncontrollably. Complete eradication of these pests is impossible, but keeping their population as low as possible is essential for native wildlife to thrive.

The appointment of a wild cat hunting group is unprecedented in Australian history. This only shows that officials are taking the matter very seriously. Estimates indicate over six million feral cats roving the Land of Kangaroos. Hunters will be targeting the animals for two years in national parks, and if their actions are successful, the programme could be expanded to other areas of the country.

Expert marksmen are not the only method in the battle against feral cats. Many parks have deployed camera traps to detect areas that the four-legged predators particularly favour. Even technologies utilising artificial intelligence have been enlisted in the war against the cat army. This involves a device called the "Felixer". How does it work? The AI software recognises a cat and then shoots a toxic gel at the feline. The cat licks itself, thereby ingesting a lethal dose of poison and dying. The manufacturer guarantees 99.5% effectiveness of this weapon.