Management of Pet Cats: The Impact of the Cat Tracker Citizen Science Project in South Australia

Roetman, Philip; Tindle, Hayley; Litchfield, Carla

doi:10.3390/ani8110190

Cited by 29 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Owner contact details from microchip registration were used to locate the owners. This wandering behavior of owned cats is consistent with GPS tracking data for South Australian pet cats, where the average daytime range was 1 hectare, and 2 hectares at night [ 32 ]. It is also consistent with research demonstrating that 75% of lost cats when found were located within 500 m of their home [ 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…The applicability of our findings outside the limited and defined range of a university campus or similar site is unclear. Immigration might constitute a larger component where colonies are immediately adjacent to houses with free-roaming owned cats, given the limited range of most pet cats [ 32 ]. Furthermore, in common with many previous reports of TNR programs, no control group was included to document and compare changes in cat numbers in an unmanaged population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Application of a Protocol Based on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to Manage Unowned Urban Cats on an Australian University Campus

Swarbrick

Rand

2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryIn Australia, management of the unowned urban cat population is a continuing challenge. This is because the numbers of cats culled in trap-and-kill programs are inadequate to balance the breeding rate of the remaining cats, and also because of immigration of sexually active cats from surrounding areas in a “vacuum” effect into areas where culling has been applied. In contrast, programs based on management of cat reproduction, such as trap-neuter-return (TNR), supplemented by rehoming of socializable cats and kittens, have been shown to produce significant reductions in free-living cat populations. However, evidence is lacking that these approaches are effective in an Australian context. In this paper, we document a nine-year TNR program on an Australian university campus, supplemented by rehoming, that reduced a free-living cat population from 69 to 15 cats, while also rehoming 19 campus-born kittens and managing a further 34 immigrant cats that either joined the resident colony (n = 16), were rehomed (n = 15), or died/disappeared (n = 3). Subsequent institutional support for the program was strong because of a reduction in complaints from campus staff and students, the minimal institutional costs, and the improved health status of the remaining cats, all of which are desexed, microchipped, registered and fed on a daily basis.AbstractIn August 2008, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, commenced a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program to manage the population of approximately 69 free-roaming unowned urban cats on its Kensington campus. The goals of the program included an ongoing audit of cats on campus, stabilization of cat numbers through TNR, and a subsequent reduction in cat numbers over time while maintaining the health of remaining campus cats. Continuation of the TNR program over nine years resulted in a current population, as of September 2017, of 15 cats, all desexed (78% reduction). Regular monitoring of the cats through a daily feeding program identified a further 34 cats that immigrated on to campus since initiation of the program; these comprised 28 adult cats (16 unsocialized, 12 socialized) and six solitary kittens. In addition, 19 kittens were born on campus, 14 of which were born to immigrant pregnant females. Unsocialized adult immigrants were absorbed into the resident campus population. Where possible, socialized adult immigrants, solitary kittens, and campus-born kittens were removed from campus through rehoming. Overall, reasons for reductions in the cat population (original residents, immigrants, campus-born kittens; n = 122) included rehoming or return to owner (30%), death/euthanasia (30%) and disappearance (29%). This successful animal management program received some initial funding from the university to support desexing, but was subsequently funded through donations, and continues with the university’s approval and support.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of a Protocol Based on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to Manage Unowned Urban Cats on an Australian University Campus

Swarbrick

Rand

2018

Animals

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“…A variety of studies have demonstrated the usefulness of CS projects for scientific research and have also shown that CS provides other socio-ecological outcomes (Shirk et al, 2012;McKinley et al, 2017). For example, participating in CS projects enhances people's knowledge about wildlife (Brossard et al, 2005) or about science , and even induces changes in environmental management (Danielsen et al, 2005(Danielsen et al, , 2010. Also, changes in people's attitudes toward science or the environment have been demonstrated (Price and Lee, 2013), but are not widely investigated (Brossard et al, 2005).…”

Section: Importance Of Public Preferences For Participation In Citizementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, participating in CS projects enhances people's knowledge about wildlife (Brossard et al, 2005) or about science , and even induces changes in environmental management (Danielsen et al, 2005(Danielsen et al, , 2010. Also, changes in people's attitudes toward science or the environment have been demonstrated (Price and Lee, 2013), but are not widely investigated (Brossard et al, 2005). One socio-ecological outcome considered important in conservation practice is to engage communities in actions to mitigate environmental problems (McKinley et al, 2015).…”

Section: Importance Of Public Preferences For Participation In Citizementioning

confidence: 99%

How Does the Diversity of Divers Affect the Design of Citizen Science Projects?

et al. 2019

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Divers have widely participated in citizen science (CS) projects and are one of the main groups of marine citizen scientists. However, there is little knowledge about profiles of, and incentives for potential divers to join CS projects. To date, most studies have focused on the SCUBA diving industry; nevertheless, there is a diversity of divers, not all using SCUBA, who engage in different activities during their dives. Differences in diver profiles could affect their willingness and ability to contribute to CS. In this study, we compare the diving profile, interests, preferences and motivations to participate in CS of five diver types (artisanal fishermen, recreational divers, instructors, scientific divers, and others). All divers have strong interests in participating in CS projects, with no major differences among diver types. In general, they are interested in a wide variety of themes related to CS but they prefer simple sampling protocols. Divers are motivated to participate in CS to learn about the sea and contribute to science. Some important differences among diver types were found, with artisanal fishermen having significantly more dive experience than other diver types, but less free time during their dives and limited access to some communication channels and technologies. These characteristics make them ideal partners to contribute their local ecological knowledge (LEK) to local CS projects. In contrast, recreational divers have the least experience but most free time during their dives and good access to cameras and communications channels, making them suitable partners for large-scale CS projects that do not require a high level of species knowledge. Instructors and scientific divers are well-placed to coordinate and supervise CS activities. The results confirm that divers are not all alike and specific considerations have to be taken into account to improve the contribution of each diver type to CS. The findings provide essential information for the design of different types of CS projects. By considering the relevant incentives and opportunities for diverse diver groups, marine CS projects will make efficient gains in volunteer recruitment, retention, and collaborative generation of knowledge about the marine environment.

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“…The development of low-cost Global Positioning System (GPS) technology increasingly used by the public might change this scenario. The most prominent citizen science study making use of GPS technology is the Cat Tracker study with pet cats in Australia [17]. However, even though sustainable grazing management begins with a profound knowledge of the grazing behaviour, no studies investigating livestock behaviour with a citizen science approach have been carried out yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a Citizen Science Approach with German Horse Owners to Study the Locomotion Behaviour of Horses on Pasture

et al. 2020

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Engaging farmers as citizen scientists may be a cost-efficient way to answering applied research questions aimed at more sustainable land use. We used a citizen science approach with German horse farmers with a dual goal. Firstly, we tested the practicability of this approach for answering 'real-life' questions in variable agricultural land-use systems. Secondly, we were interested in the knowledge it can provide about locomotion of horses on pasture and the management factors influencing this behaviour. Out of 165 volunteers, we selected 40 participants to record locomotion of two horses on pasture and provide information on their horse husbandry and pasture management. We obtained complete records for three recording days per horse from 28 participants, resulting in a dataset on more individual horses than any other Global Positioning System study published in the last 30 years. Time spent walking was greatest for horses kept in box-stall stables, and walking distance decreased with increasing grazing time. This suggests that restrictions in pasture access may increase stress on grass swards through running and trampling, severely challenging sustainable pasture management. Our study, involving simple technology, clear instructions and rigorous quality assessment, demonstrates the potential of citizen science actively involving land managers in agricultural research.

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Management of Pet Cats: The Impact of the Cat Tracker Citizen Science Project in South Australia

Cited by 29 publications

References 34 publications

Application of a Protocol Based on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to Manage Unowned Urban Cats on an Australian University Campus

Application of a Protocol Based on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to Manage Unowned Urban Cats on an Australian University Campus

How Does the Diversity of Divers Affect the Design of Citizen Science Projects?

Using a Citizen Science Approach with German Horse Owners to Study the Locomotion Behaviour of Horses on Pasture

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