Australia Takes Out Feral Cats via Solar-Powered Lasers Rigged with Toxic Gel

Solar-powered lasers that shoot out sticky toxic gel are being used to kill feral cats in Australia as part of an innovative attempt to control the population.

Poisoning Feral Cats in Australia

Millions of native animals have died as a result of the feral cats' introduction to Australia as an invasive species.

Millions more of native species in the bush, including rare marsupials like numbats and bandicoots as well as reptiles and birds, have perished as a result of these feral cats, according to Newsweek.

They represent a threat to 100 remaining native species and have driven an estimated 27 species to extinction, particularly small marsupials as well as ground-dwelling birds.

In order to avoid unintentionally harming a native animal, the lethal new technology employs lasers to recognize the profile of a feral cat.

Solar-Powered Laser Rigged with Toxic Gel

The feline is then sprayed with a toxic gel by the box-shaped device, known as a Felixer Grooming Trap, which makes the feral cat lick itself to try to remove the gooey stuff, consuming the lethal gel in the process.

The equipment captures a picture each time it sprays a gel squirt so that conservationists can verify that it hit the intended target.

The technology has successfully distinguished between a feral cat and a native animal in countless tests, according to Western Australia's environment minister Reece Whitby.

According to Whitby, these feral cats have a terrible impact on local wildlife. Authorities must take action to offer local animals a chance to survive this ferocious predator.

Each of the 20 sealed poisonous gel cartridges inside the solar-powered devices are automatically reset after use.

The tool can also be used to locate and spray foxes, which European settlers brought to Australia and which have the same disastrous effect on native species.

They can also be set to make a variety of noises that are intended to entice foxes and stray cats.

The gadgets will be set up at locations all around Western Australia, but after receiving federal clearance, they might also be expanded to other states and territories.

New Strategy

Thylation, the company that developed the technology, leased 16 of the devices to the Western Australian government.

Despite the size of the state, advocates of the technology claim that when strategically positioned in areas where cats are known to congregate, such as along fence lines or in a small gully, the devices can be quite successful.

They could also be applied in gated, compact regions where conservationists are attempting to reintroduce endangered animals.

The gadgets require little upkeep and can be employed in situations where killing cats would not be suitable, The Telegraph reported.

They will be used in conjunction with conventional tactics like widespread baiting, which Western Australia will do annually by dispersing up to 880,000 baits for feral cats.

In a conservation reserve in South Australia called Arid Recovery in 2020, the devices were successfully used to assess their effectiveness against cats and foxes.

According to the University of New South Wales' Katherine Moseby, they released 20 Felixers in an area that contained roughly 50 feral cats in addition to other creatures like bilbies and bettongs, ABC News reported.