Caught on camera: The impacts of urban domestic cats on wild prey in an African city and neighbouring protected areas

Seymour, Colleen L.; Simmons, Robert E.; Morling, Frances; George, Sharon T.; Peters, Koebraa; O’Riain, M. Justin

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01198

Cited by 40 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A limitation of this and similar studies 11,12,[42][43][44][45][46][47] relates to using the numbers of prey brought home by cats as a proxy for the numbers of animals they kill. Two studies 50,51 that have equipped domestic cats (n = 16 and 18 cats, respectively) with cameras (''Kit-tyCams''), found that 9 of 39 (23%) and 11 of 62 (18%) prey items were brought home, while the remainders were left or eaten in situ. Similarly, direct observation of hunting by tracked indoor-outdoor cats (n = 12 cats) and of hunts resulting in kills (n = 4 kills), when compared to prey records, suggest that householders might record around 30% of the prey killed.…”

Section: Prey Recording and Basis Of Response Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, our study design accounts for this unquantified variation in multiple ways: 1. It is not quantified in the three observational studies, [50][51][52] but it is likely there is between-individual variation in the tendency of cats to bring home prey. We have accounted for this by adopting a before-after-control-impact design, whereby between-cat and temporal variation are controlled-for, by making paired observations of the same individuals before and after implementation of the treatment, and analyzing variance by Please cite this article in press as: Cecchetti et al, Provision of High Meat Content Food and Object Play Reduce Predation of Wild Animals by Domestic Cats Felis catus, Current Biology (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.044 Report period and by treatment group, including a control.…”

Section: Prey Recording and Basis Of Response Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4. An alternative experimental approach would be to equip cats with cameras or to track them directly during hunts, as in the studies above, [50][51][52] and then to implement our treatments. This more direct approach to quantification of predation has promise, though there are clear challenges of scale.…”

Section: Prey Recording and Basis Of Response Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Provision of High Meat Content Food and Object Play Reduce Predation of Wild Animals by Domestic Cats Felis catus

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Prey Recording and Basis Of Response Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prey Recording and Basis Of Response Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Provision of High Meat Content Food and Object Play Reduce Predation of Wild Animals by Domestic Cats Felis catus

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our study region included two cities of moderate size, neither of which abutted protected natural areas. A South African study of cat-bird interactions in an urbanized landscape using video footage from cat-borne cameras found cats caught few non-native species in urbanized areas and suggested cats whose home ranges adjoin natural areas near urbanized areas could post greater risks for native species [32]. Thus, landscape context can influence the species most at risk of predation from free-ranging cats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing the Influence of Domestic Cats on Birds with Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Data

Demezas

Robinson

2021

Diversity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Depredation of birds by domestic cats is hypothesized to be one of many significant sources of mortality leading to global bird declines. Direct observations are relatively rarely documented compared with large numbers of birds hypothesized to be killed or wounded by cats. We analyzed data from two wildlife rehabilitation centers located in Salem and Grants Pass, Oregon USA, to understand which species were most likely to interact with a cat, and the species traits associated with cat interactions and habitats (urban vs. rural) of rescued birds. Interaction with a cat was the second-most commonly reported cause of admission, representing 12.3% of 6345 admissions. Half to two-thirds of birds were rescued from cats in urban settings and were usually species foraging on or near the ground. Most species were admitted to rehabilitation centers in direct proportion to their regional abundance. An exception was the absence of common species weighing less than 70 g, which we conclude is an effect of sampling bias. We conclude that cats most often interact with regionally common near-ground-dwelling bird species in both urban and rural habitats. Wildlife rehabilitation centers can provide valuable sources of data for cat-bird interactions but potential sources of uncertainty and bias in their data need to be considered carefully.

show abstract

“…All alien species have an impact on the ecosystem where they are introduced, on the economy and/or on human and wildlife health [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]; nevertheless, quantification of impacts often requires time-consuming and expensive fieldwork by experts in biological invasions [ 23 ]. Some free-ranging domestic species are among the worst invasive alien species, being able to rapidly expand their range and population densities, as well as strongly affecting native ecosystems [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Amongst domestic herbivores, goats and sheep are globally widespread on islands and their impacts were previously assessed [ 25 , 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From the Andes to the Apennines: Rise and Fall of a Free-Ranging Population of Feral Llamas

Gargioni

Monaco

Ficetola

et al. 2021

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since 2016, a feral population of llama Lama glama has been present in Central Italy after escaping from a zoological garden and starting to reproduce. We updated demographic status and distribution of this population and investigated societal perception towards the llama presence and management in the area through a standard questionnaire. Field data were collected through direct (transects traveled by car and on foot) and indirect (newspapers, social networks and online platforms) research. The feral population appears to be declining. In July 2020, the population was represented by three individuals (one male and two females), identified also through photoidentification, most likely located within a 40-hectare area. The majority of citizens are aware of the presence of feral llamas and show a positive attitude toward them and a negative one toward management actions. The case of feral llamas in Italy is an evident example of unsafe management of a species which should have kept in a zoo and which, once set free, was able to catalyze the attention of the general public. The decline of this population limits the need of drastic management actions that, given the appreciation expressed by people and press toward these animals, would have been at risk of conflict with the public opinion. Removal action should be rapidly taken, i.e., before any demographic rebound and before the population becomes a stable feature of the local landscape.

show abstract

Caught on camera: The impacts of urban domestic cats on wild prey in an African city and neighbouring protected areas

Cited by 40 publications

References 70 publications

Provision of High Meat Content Food and Object Play Reduce Predation of Wild Animals by Domestic Cats Felis catus

Provision of High Meat Content Food and Object Play Reduce Predation of Wild Animals by Domestic Cats Felis catus

Characterizing the Influence of Domestic Cats on Birds with Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Data

From the Andes to the Apennines: Rise and Fall of a Free-Ranging Population of Feral Llamas

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About