The Nature Conservation Council and the Invasive Species Council have jointly urged the New South Wales (NSW) government to establish clear legislation mandating the containment of pet cats to safeguard millions of native animals annually. This appeal follows the addition of 48 species to the endangered list and the release of an ambitious feral cat control plan by the federal government.
Research from the Australian National University has recently revealed that the greater Sydney area houses approximately 1,086,676 pet cats, with around 71% allowed to roam freely. This leads to a shocking annual toll of 66 million native animals hunted and killed by domestic cats in Sydney alone.
Dr. Brad Smith, Acting NCC CEO, warned that without intervention, a quarter of a billion native animals could be killed in Sydney over the next four years. He emphasized the urgent need for laws that hold cat owners accountable for the containment of their pets to protect native wildlife.
Under existing NSW laws, cats are not only permitted to roam freely but also prevent local councils from implementing basic cat containment measures, making it difficult to protect local ecosystems.
Jack Gough, Advocacy Manager at the Invasive Species Council, stressed the importance of amending the law in NSW to enable local councils to enforce anti-roaming laws for pet cats, citing examples from the ACT and Victoria where similar rules have been successfully implemented.
The Nature Conservation Council, Invasive Species Council, Birdlife Australia, WIRES, and the Australian Wildlife Society have jointly called on the NSW Government to:
1. Amend the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998 to empower local governments to enforce anti-roaming laws for pet cats locally.
2. Allocate a minimum of $9 million for compliance, education, desexing, identification, and registration programs.
3. Encourage local governments to develop companion animal management plans.
4. Create a state-wide web resource for pet owners.
5. Streamline pet identification and registration processes.
6. Make desexing mandatory statewide.
The groups also called for increased funding for responsible pet ownership initiatives such as subsidized desexing and a state-wide education campaign.
The Nature Conservation Council and Invasive Species Council are urging NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe and Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig to work together on these crucial changes.
