Cutting edge technology used in the fight to protect native wildlife from feral cats
Scientists and technical staff from the Flora and Fauna Division have been busy deploying cutting edge feral cat control technology in Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park.
FelixerTM feral cat grooming traps use lidar lasers and Artificial Intelligence to identify and specifically target cats and foxes. These introduced predators are sprayed with a toxic 1080 gel which they then consume when grooming.
The 1080 compound occurs naturally in the MacDonnell Ranges in the shrub Gastrolobium brevipes. It is for this reason that most native wildlife has a high tolerance to 1080.
Twelve Felixer units were deployed across two locations focused on protecting the Critically Endangered Central Rock-rat and Vulnerable Central Australian Rock-wallaby.
Each Felixer weighs about 50kg, so a helicopter was required to move them into the rugged and remote habitat.
Flora and Fauna staff also deployed motion activated cameras to understand how many cats are using the landscape and what proportion are being removed by the Felixers.
Data collected over the deployment period will inform future management of feral cats in Tjoritja National Park, and elsewhere in central Australia.
The project is jointly funded by the Australian and Northern Territory Governments as part of the MacDonnell Ranges Priority Place Project.
