Feasibility study for the eradication of feral cats from Faure Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Abstract

Feral cats became established on Faure Island during the late 19 th century and were probably introduced from pearling vessels or by early pastoralists. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), lease holders of the Faure Island pastoral lease, is planning to establish the area as a site for the conservation of threatened mammals. AWC proposes to translocate native mammal species to the island. To enable the successful recolonisation of the island by these species it would be necessary to implement a feral cat eradication program. This paper describes a preliminary feasibility study for the eradication of feral cats from the island.