“Bella and Charlie Are Not the Problem – It’s Us: The Real Drivers of Wildlife Decline in NSW”

Importantly for the current prominent perceptions of cat impacts to wildlife: “all animal attacks combined accounted for 4.4% of threatened species rescues; dog-related rescues were more than three times greater than cat-related rescues, with cat-related rescues comprising 0.6% of all threatened species rescues”.

The current strong public focus on cats and impacts to wildlife “risks diverting attention away from other more major and preventable impacts on wildlife in urban areas. These include habitat loss and fragmentation, vehicle collisions, extreme weather, and hazards linked to roads, buildings, and other human structures”.

From Australian wildlife hospitals, past studies have shown consistent patterns: road/traffic collisions, “orphaned or dependent young, disease, and environmental displacement” usually lead the reasons for wildlife entering a hospital.

This is the first state-wide analysis from the NSW Wildlife Rehabilitation Data Dashboard records used from 2013 through 2024. Points of interest follow.

[Note – this new research is under review]

Conclusion include:

• Companion animal attacks were causing “a small proportion of rescues overall, with dog-related rescues more than three times as common as cat-related rescues”
• Gains in conservation “are likely to come from preventing harm before it occurs and increasing survival through early intervention”
• Prevention efforts should be focused “on the major human-related drivers identified in this study offers the strongest opportunity to reduce wildlife rescues and improve outcomes for threatened species and wildlife rescuers”
• Acknowledging and responding to these factors and drivers “will be essential if conservation policy is to achieve meaningful reductions in threatened wildlife injury and mortality and protect human wellbeing.”

“Overall, threatened species most often entered care due to adverse weather events, unsuitable environment, hazardous materials, and vehicle collisions—suggesting that prevention efforts targeting these causes are likely to avert more harm than a primary focus on pet cats.”

About this new study:

• Data gathered from 52,475 individuals and 158 threatened species
• Outcomes include
  • 24.1% of threatened animals were released,
  • 58.5% died, and
  • 17.5% had other outcomes
• Rescues due to largely human-related causes:
  • 11.6% Entanglement
  • 11.4% Weather–Drought
  • 10.1% Abandoned/Orphaned
  • 7.3% Unsuitable Environment
  • 5.8% Motor-Vehicle Collision,
  • although many were Unknown (21.9%).
  • these six making up 82.1% of threatened species rescues.

Reference sources:

Bella and Charlie Are Not the Problem – It’s Us: The Real Drivers of Wildlife Decline in NSW https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202604.1191

APWF Position Paper Domestic Cats and Australian Wildlife Populations https://petwelfare.org.au/position-statements

Jacquie Rand Stray Cats in NSW with ABC Evenings (Sydney, NSW & ACT) https://petwelfare.org.au/media/stray-cats-in-nsw

Jacquie Rand APWF on ABC Newcastle Mornings radio program 15 July: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/newcastle-mornings/mornings/106906036

Currently online on ABC Newcastle starts around 1h 9mins into the program – link will be in first comment for this post and on our blog webpage.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: –
💜 Due to the extreme claims of domestic cats on wildlife, the recent research paper focuses on what brings wildlife into care… and shows cat attacks are a very small proportion of causes.
💜The research is on cat and wildlife species where humans live and work, including where wildlife and human habitation coexist, (not cats in natural environments). Focused on threatened and endangered species as these are the most at risk.
💜The push for mandated containment, sounds like a simple solution, but the evidence shows it doesn’t effectively reduce roaming cats nor minimise impacts to wildlife – most people who can contain their cat do so, and a number of domestic cats do not predate wildlife, (obviously cats may),
💜 We need to be smart about the responses. Solutions include providing help to owners, especially those on low incomes, and shift from demonising cats and owners, and really be proactive – where are the species most suspectable to dog and cat attacks and how to provide protection for the wildlife.
💜Another response is to leave corridors for the wildlife to safely move from one habitat to another, with tree canopies. Road trauma and identifying hotspots, and adding road fencing, and generic warning signs have not been shown to work very well, but more focused intelligent signs and speed monitors are more useful.