What are the effects of feral animals?
Some feral animals were initially introduced as pets, like the cat. The earliest cats coming to Australia in the 1800s would have been kept on board ships to control rats and mice. Once in Australia, some of these animals escaped, and others were deliberately released in the hope that they would keep the rats and mice away. Now feral cats run wild across most of Australia, preying on birds and small mammals and spreading disease to native animals and livestock. Rabbits were originally brought to Australia for food and hunting. After they escaped or were released (for hunting), they quickly spread across Australia. They breed rapidly, move quickly and cause widespread destruction to the land and plant life as they burrow and feed wherever they fancy. The feral pig, initially introduced by settlers as a food source but now sometimes released by humans into the wild for hunting, will dig for food and wallow in shallow areas of the river. They cause terrible erosion and can pollute areas o
