A report released Friday found that 323 million animals, including birds, are killed by domestic cats each year nationwide because the vast majority of owners let their pets roam free. This number is 34 percent higher than the 241 million figure measured during the 2020 survey.
Researchers attribute the sudden increase in wild animal mortality to the increased desire to keep pets during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the number of cats on the continent jumped to 5.3 million.
The study authors consider that lawmakers must also address this issue, creating legal frameworks for responsible animal husbandry. What’s more, in their statement they recommended considering a 24-hour curfew for cats.
In the Australian Capital Territory, for example, legislation requires restrictions on the free movement of cats, and in the state of Victoria, half of local governments have passed some type of restrictive regulation.
To date, legislative restrictions in other states have not allowed similar legislation to be put in place. According to one of the organizations involved in the research, the Invasive Species Council, if only a complete daily cat ban were imposed in the Sydney area, around 66 million domestic animals could be saved each year.
In Australia, cats kill an average of 110 domestic animals a year as they roam and bycatch. MTI reported that 40 of them are reptiles, 38 are birds, and 32 are mammals.
