Cats target in Grampians
One of the longest-running conservation programs in Grampians National Park will mark its 25th year with an expansion into protecting wildlife from feral cats.
Established in 1996, the Grampians Ark program is one of a family of ‘Arks’ in operation across Victoria that uses baiting programs to control foxes.
The program has helped to re-establish a population of critically endangered brush-tailed rock wallabies in the park.
Introduced foxes are efficient hunters and take a heavy toll on native mammals, birds and reptiles, as well as juvenile livestock properties neighbouring parkland.
Large-scale baiting has proven an control method for foxes.
This year, Parks Victoria will expand the Grampians Ark program to include feral cats, detected more frequently on the park’s surveillance and monitoring cameras in many remote areas of the Grampians.
Feral cats, similar to foxes, are also serious skilled hunters and a threat to the survival of many native species including small mammals, birds and reptiles across Australia.
During the second half of the year, Parks Victoria, in partnership with Deakin University, will bait areas it knows are frequented by feral cats.
The Grampians Ark is among conservation programs scheduled for Grampians National Park this year.
Other activities include aerial and on-ground operations to control populations of deer and feral goats; control of the invasive sallow wattle; and ecological burns designed to create a diversity of habitats for wildlife while contributing to management of bushfires and fuel loads.
Parks Victoria environment and science acting executive director Phil Pegler said the Grampians was a special example of Victoria’s biodiversity.
“It is home to rare and threatened animals and one third of the state’s flora, including some 800 indigenous plant species,” he said.
“The biodiversity in this area is constantly under threat from introduced animals like foxes, feral cats, deer and feral goats and programs like the Grampians Ark are critical.” effective