Wildlife

Feline Invasion - Australia

Feral cats now roam more than 99.8 percent of Australia’s land area, where they are devastating wildlife and otherwise causing a major impact on the country’s ecology, according to a new comprehensive study.

Australia is the only continent on the planet other than Antarctica where native species evolved without cats. This makes its indigenous animals extremely vulnerable to felines, according to Australia’s threatened species commissioner.

The invasive cats, initially brought in by European colonists, have already driven at least 20 Australian mammals to extinction.