Diet of Feral Cats in Hawai?i Volcanoes National Park

Hess, Steven C.; Hansen, Heidi; Nelson, Daniel; Swift, Roberta; Banko, Paul C.

doi:10.1071/pc070244

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Of 263 carcasses recorded between 1990 and 2013, 170 (65%) were judged cat kills based on the distinctive carcass "signature" left by feral cats. Video, scat, and necropsies confirm cat presence and predation (Hess et al 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fencing to Protect Hawaiian Petrels from Feral Cats: A Progress Update

Hu¹,

Misajon²,

Faford³

et al. 2014

vertebrate_pest_conference

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On Hawaii Island, within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, remnant nesting colonies of Hawaiian petrels, or 'Ua'u, persisting in subalpine lava flows of Mauna Loa are threatened by feral cats. Trapping has not fully protected these approximately 60 known nests. In some years, cats have killed multiple petrels over the protracted breeding season. To create a core area free from cat predation, the Natural Resources Management Division of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, with support from multiple partners, is constructing a 5.5-mile-long barrier fence around the largest known colony. Project planning began in 2009, and fence construction started in 2013. Our design, modified from an Australian fence, is skirted to the substrate at the bottom and rolled over at the top to form a springy, outward-facing arc. Work to date includes finalizing the route, helicoptering in fencing materials and gear to the 9,000+ foot elevation site, pulverizing a narrow work corridor along the fence route (most of it on rough, aa lava), installing approximately 3,900 posts, and attaching visibility marking tape to alert flying petrels. We anticipate needing 1-2 additional work seasons to complete the fence. Ongoing petrel nest monitoring will help us assess response of the colony. Additionally, recently-installed interpretive panels inform park visitors of the conservation needs of this elusive bird.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Fencing to Protect Hawaiian Petrels from Feral Cats: A Progress Update

Hu¹,

Misajon²,

Faford³

et al. 2014

vertebrate_pest_conference

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show abstract

“…Aside from predation, cats are the definitive host of T . gondii and may have a high seroprevalence even in populations of low density, where transmission between cats is restricted (Hess et al 2007). Toxoplasmosis kills several animal species (Migaki et al 1990;Work et al 2002;Honnold et al 2005;Miller et al 2008) and may also cause miscarriages or fetal abnormalities in pregnant women (Tenter et al 2000) and animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs and Benefits of Trap‐Neuter‐Release and Euthanasia for Removal of Urban Cats in Oahu, Hawaii

Lohr

Cox

Lepczyk

2012

Conservation Biology

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Our goal was to determine whether it is more cost-effective to control feral cat abundance with trap-neuter-release programs or trap and euthanize programs. Using STELLA 7, systems modeling software, we modeled changes over 30 years in abundance of cats in a feral colony in response to each management method and the costs and benefits associated with each method . We included costs associated with providing food, veterinary care, and microchips to the colony cats and the cost of euthanasia, wages, and trapping equipment in the model. Due to a lack of data on predation rates and disease transmission by feral cats the only benefits incorporated into the analyses were reduced predation on Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus). When no additional domestic cats were abandoned by owners and the trap and euthanize program removed 30,000 cats in the first year, the colony was extirpated in at least 75% of model simulations within the second year. It took 30 years for trap-neuter-release to extirpate the colony. When the cat population was supplemented with 10% of the initial population size per year, the colony returned to carrying capacity within 6 years and the trap and euthanize program had to be repeated, whereas trap-neuter-release never reduced the number of cats to near zero within the 30-year time frame of the model. The abandonment of domestic cats reduced the cost effectiveness of both trap-neuter-release and trap and euthanize. Trap-neuter-release was approximately twice as expensive to implement as a trap and euthanize program. Results of sensitivity analyses suggested trap-neuter-release programs that employ volunteers are still less cost-effective than trap and euthanize programs that employ paid professionals and that trap-neuter-release was only effective when the total number of colony cats in an area was below 1000. Reducing the rate of abandonment of domestic cats appears to be a more effective solution for reducing the abundance of feral cats.

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“…Cats were reported to be abundant predators of native birds in forests of Lāna'i and O'ahu by the late 1800s (Rothschild 1893, Perkins 1903. Depredation of endangered bird species in Hawai'i has been frequently documented and attributed to cats (Hess et al 2007a), and recent photographic and videographic documentation confirms direct evidence (Judge et al 2012). However, the most compelling proof of the effects of feral cats on wildlife populations comes from examples where cats have been entirely removed from islands.…”

Section: Catsmentioning

confidence: 95%

A Tour de Force by Hawaii's Invasive Mammals: Establishment, Takeover, and Ecosystem Restoration through Eradication

Steven¹

2016

vertebrate_pest_conference

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Invasive mammals, large and small, have irreversibly altered Hawaii's ecosystems in numerous cases through unnatural herbivory, predation, and the transmission of zoonotic diseases, thereby causing the disproportionate extinction of flora and fauna that occur nowhere else on Earth. The control and eradication of invasive mammals is the single most expensive management activity necessary for restoring ecological integrity to many natural areas of Hawai'i and other Pacific Islands, and has already advanced the restoration of native biota. Science applications supporting management efforts have been shaped by longstanding collaborative federal research programs over the past four decades. Consequently, feral goats have been removed from >1,358 km 2 , and feral pigs have been removed from >723 km 2 of lands in Hawai'i, bringing about the gradual recovery of forest ecosystems. The exclusion of other non-native ungulates and invasive mammals is now being undertaken with more sophisticated control techniques and fences. New fence designs are now capable of excluding feral cats from large areas to protect endangered native waterfowl and nesting seabirds. Rodenticides that have been tested and registered for hand and aerial broadcast in Hawai'i have been used to eradicate rats from small offshore islands to protect nesting seabirds and are now being applied to montane environment of larger islands to protect forest birds. Forward-looking infrared radar is also being applied to locate cryptic wild ungulates that were more recently introduced to some islands. All invasive mammals have been eradicated from some smaller islands, resulting in the restoration of some ecosystem processes such as natural forest regeneration, but changes in other processes such as fire regimes and nutrient cycling remain more difficult to reverse at larger landscape scales. It may soon be possible to manage areas on larger islands to be free of invasive mammals at least during seasonally important periods for native species, but at the same time, new mammal introductions continue to occur.

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Diet of Feral Cats in Hawai?i Volcanoes National Park

Cited by 15 publications

References 0 publications

Fencing to Protect Hawaiian Petrels from Feral Cats: A Progress Update

Fencing to Protect Hawaiian Petrels from Feral Cats: A Progress Update

Costs and Benefits of Trap‐Neuter‐Release and Euthanasia for Removal of Urban Cats in Oahu, Hawaii

A Tour de Force by Hawaii's Invasive Mammals: Establishment, Takeover, and Ecosystem Restoration through Eradication

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