Researchers are celebrating the release of the once locally extinct burrowing bettong back into the NSW desert – with the aim of training them to survive alongside feral cats and foxes.
Back from the brink: bettongs return to the desert
unsw.edu.au
Keeping a smart eye on warru
New technology, designed specially for Indigenous rangers, is being trialled at warru colonies in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjartjara (APY) lands.
Ninti Cams (or ‘smart’ cameras) will be able to count warru and let rangers know immediately if feral cats or foxes are detected.
South Australia is utilizing algorithmic traps and strict domestic laws to entirely eradicate feral cats from Kangaroo Island by 2030, protecting endangered native species.
Inside Kangaroo Island's Ambitious 2030 Feral Cat Eradication Project
streamlinefeed.co.ke/
Deploying AI in the war against feral cats
southwestnrm.org.au: Dr Manda Page
According to research, a feral cat roaming through the bush will kill about two animals every day.
That rings true as a DBCA project team sifts through data from 149 camera traps deployed late last year in the majestic jarrah forests of our South West region in WA
In March 2026, Uunguu Rangers partnered with Thylation ecologists to trial new smart camera technology at Ngauwudu (Mitchell Plateau), as part of a collaborative research project focused on improving early detection of feral species.
Managing pests species – cane toads and bujicat (cats) – on Wunambal Gaambera Country
wunambalgaambera.org.au: April, 2026
Cats and foxes did it. Leading Scientists refute “Invasive Species Denialism,” reaffirming introduced predators as a major cause of mammal extinctions
biodiversitycouncil.org.au: January 22, 2026
Today, 25 leading conservation scientists, ecologists, and mammal experts published a comprehensive rebuttal to claims that there is little evidence that introduced cats and foxes were the primary cause of most of Australia’s 40 mammal extinctions since European colonisation.
Millions of years of isolation have shaped Australia’s extraordinary mammal fauna into species unlike anywhere else in the world, from platypus to koalas and wombats.
Tragically, Australia is the world leader in mammal extinctions. About 40 species have gone extinct in the 238 years since European colonisation began, and nearly 80 species are now imperilled. It’s essential we understand what factors caused these extinctions and ongoing decline.
Yes, feral cats and foxes really have driven many Australian mammals to extinction
theconversation.com: January 23, 2026
Indigenous rangers use AI to tackle feral cats in Australia’s desert
nit.com.au: January 18, 2026, Natasha Clark
Feral cats, introduced during early European invasion and settlement, are posing a growing threat to desert ecosystems — and Indigenous rangers are using artificial intelligence to fight back.
Cats were first brought to Australia by Europeans in the late 18th and 19th centuries, arriving on ships as pets and to control rodents.
As pastoral stations pushed into Australia’s central desert in the late 19th century, cats adapted to the arid environment and spread rapidly.
Now regarded as one of Australia’s most destructive invasive predators, feral cats are linked to the decline and extinction of dozens of native species, particularly small mammals and ground-dwelling birds that have little defence against introduced hunters.
HOW CAT TOLERANCE PUTS WILDLIFE AT RISK
The Wildlife Professional | Winter 2026, Olivia Milloway
Native Mammals Reclaim Australia's Deserts from Cats
miragenews.com: November 24 2025
The ambitious trial to reintroduce native marsupial species into Sturt National Park is on track, say Wild Deserts conservationists.
Western quolls, bilbies and golden bandicoots are slowly taking back a ‘low-cat’ area of the desert – the massive Wild Training Zone of more than 100km2 in Sturt National Park in NSW.
The resurgence of these species is a result of the ‘beyond the fence’ initiative in Sturt National Park that is part of the Wild Deserts Partnership Project. It involves an alliance between UNSW Sydney’s Wild Deserts team, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Taronga Conservation Society Australia.
Efforts to protect native birds and other animals from feral cats will be boosted thanks to a new tool open for permit applications in Victoria.
The Felixer cartridge system will be able to be used in Victoria for the first time, following introduction of additional controls under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992 to allow the supply and use of 1080 via the Felixer product solely for the purpose of feral cat eradication.
Felixer cartridge now permitted for use against feral cats in Victoria
agriculture.vic.gov.au: November 19 2025
Rewilding push to save iconic animals and repair ecosystems
cosmosmagazine.com: October 3 2025
Time is running out for many iconic Australian animals. Rewilding can repair their ecosystems, but each attempt faces unique and sometimes controversial challenges. John Read poses 12 current conundrums, as a conservation ecologist seeking solutions.
Today is Threatened Species Day, an opportunity to acknowledge the risks to Australia’s unique species and the work being done across the country to help them recover and thrive.
From tree plantings and weed removal to species specific mapping and monitoring using the latest conservation technology, countless individuals and organisations help every day to support and provide hope for threatened species.
Recognising Threatened Species Day
minister.dcceew.gov.au: September 7 2025
Innovative 'moonshot' plan to galvanise Aussies around $24.5 billion problem
msn.com: August 26 2025
Australia needs its own “moonshot” to galvanise the country’s best minds behind stopping the spread of feral species, a parliamentary roundtable has heard. Invasive animals and plants cost the nation around $24.5 billion a year, and that figure is steadily rising as efforts to contain them fail.
Across Australia’s deserts, forests, and suburbs, millions of feral cats prowl with quiet efficiency, preying on native animals that never evolved defenses against such skilled hunters. Every day, these cats push vulnerable species closer to extinction. In response, the country has launched a mix of bold, sometimes controversial strategies—blending scientific innovation, grassroots participation, and national coordination—to confront the threat head-on
How Australia Is Fighting to Curb Its Feral Cat Population
a-z-animals.com
Indigenous knowledge is key to saving the great desert skink and other species
abc.net.au: August 10, 2025, Peter de Kruijff
The warrarna was added to Australia’s national threatened species list in 2000 after cats, foxes and a lack of fire management in some parts of its range contributed to a population decline.
Arid Recovery continues to highlight the Felixer grooming trap as an innovative, humane, and automated tool for managing feral cats and foxes. They note its success in trials (77% accuracy for cat identification and firing) and its approval by federal authorities for feral cat management.
FelixerTM Continued Use and Efficacy Highlighted
aridrecovery.org.au
FelixerTM Operational Considerations and Regulations
feralcatandfox.com.au
Information reiterates that Felixer use is strictly regulated, requiring permits and training for 1080 capsules. It also advises on considerations like initial outlay, protection for pets (Bluetooth tags), and the need for photo-only mode trials before toxic deployment.
Revered in ancient Egypt, beloved by pet owners and popularised in countless memes, cats share a special connection with humans.
They have lived by our side for tens of thousands of years and hold a prominent place in many cultures, inspiring terms such as cat lady and cat dad.
But to those who study and protect Australia’s native wildlife, the famously curious mammals are regarded not just as pets, but as predators. Apex predators, to be exact……
Australia is 'at war with feral cats' but how did a beloved pet become a cunning predator?
ABC.net.au: April 19, 2025, Lucia Stein
AI poison devices are the latest weapon in fight to save King Island endangered birds from feral cats
ABC.net.au: May 16, 2024, Georgia Hogge
The critically endangered King Island scrubtit and King Island brown thornbill are among five Australian bird species considered most likely to become extinct within 20 years.
Both are subspecies endemic to the island, and their populations are thought to be between 50–100 individuals for the thornbill and less than 50 for the scrubtit…..
In Australia, ‘Cats Are Just Catastrophic’
NYTimes.com/: April 16, 2024, Emily Anthes and Chang W. Lee
Why this green box might be able to solve the feral cat problem
smh.com.au: January 19, 2024 , Laura Chung
Nestled among the mangroves in Melbourne’s south-east is an island that’s home to one of the largest koala communities in the country. Potoroos jump around as white-breasted sea eagles, mutton birds and pelicans soar across the skies.
The island’s native animal population is beginning to again thrive due to a $2.2 million dollar project to rid the island of feral cats, which Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says kill six million native animals a year.
Pet cats are part of a massive problem confronting Australia’s wildlife, says Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, and she has declared new measures such as giving councils the power to restrict pet numbers, ban cats outdoors and impose night-time curfews to prevent native species extinctions…..
Your pet cat is part of Australia’s wildlife crisis: Tanya Plibersek
Theage.com.au: September 8, 2023, Mike Foley
FelixerTM demonstrated at Parliament house on National Threatened Species Day
September 7, 2023
Another 48 native species including butterflies, geckos and crayfish have been added to Australia’s list of wildlife at risk of annihilation, spurring a new plan to cut the deadly feral cat population and exposing the challenge of delivering the government’s pledge to stop extinctions….
Plibersek declares war on feral cats as 48 species join endangered list
Theage.com.au: September 6, 2023, Mike Foley and Laura Chung
FelixerTM grooming trap to be rolled out as part of Australia-first strategy to control feral cats
ABC.net.au: June 28, 2023, Nicolas Perpitch
A deadly new tool that will kill feral cats by spraying them with a toxic gel is being rolled out, as part of a five-year plan to reduce the enormous impact the predators are having on native wildlife. ….
Among the Pigeons: why our cats belong indoors
by John L. Read, June 28 2023
John has been responsible for the development of the FelixerTM from promoting the concept and securing funding to organising trials and initial sales. John has a PhD in Ecosystem Management, has published over 120 scientific papers on ecology, threatened species and feral cat management and authored 4 popular books including ‘Among The Pigeons, why our cats belong indoors’. (Follow the link to purchase the book from Wakefield Press) Read Chapter 5 – Stealth and subterfuge Read Chapter 21 – N=1
“Meticulously researched, extraordinarily informative, and engagingly written. John Read has given us a book that throws light on the highly controversial issue of indoor and outdoor cats. It is a book for cat lovers, for those who care about the natural world, and for doctors. I hope it will be translated into many languages and be incorporated into animal welfare and environmental curricula.”
~ Jane Goodall
On 27 June 2022 Dr John Read participated in a panel discussion, hosted by the Invasive Species Council, to talk about the ‘Aliens Among Us’ on the impacts of feral and roaming cats.
Looking after Black footed rock wallaby
May 18, 2023
Queensland Parks and Wildlife rangers have joined wildlife services in other states trialling a unique trap that utilises Lidar laser light and artificial intelligence to target feral cats and foxes without endangering native animals.
The trial in Wooroonooran National Park marks the first use of Felixer trap from Adelaide company Thylation in a tropical rainforest after being used in other landscapes around the country
Thylation’s Felixer trap outsmarts feral cats with AI
www.aumanufacturing.com.au
John Read
ABC Radio Nightlife is Indira Naidoo 12 December 2021
South Australia is leading the countryon climate action, renewables and waste management so it’s no wonder the state is home to a wealth of talented individuals in the environment sector….
Katherine Moseby and John Read listed amongst SA's most influential in the enviroment space
The Advertiser: August 21, 2021, Clare Peddie
John Read
ABC Radio Australia All Over program - 30 August 2020
Complément d’enquête. Matous à mater
4 octobre 2018 (France 2)
Feral Cat Grooming Traps
Aug 31, 2016
Secret reserve protects elusive Australian night parrot
SBS Apr 18, 2016
Ecological Horizons and Applidyne Engineering feral cat grooming trap
Nine News SA 9 March 2016
Photo: Ben Parkhurst
What We Do
We use creativity to provide technology and tools to save threatened wildlife.
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Why We Do It
The need to think outside the square to achieve conservation outcomes for Australian wildlife is real.
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Photo: Ben Parkhurst
What we've done
Our tools are used to aid and monitor the reintroduction of culturally important and threatened mammal species.
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The Foundation funds research to develop systems that sustainably protect the natural environment.
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