Cat owners need to be more responsible, expert says after feline spotted on Rangitoto Island

Thursday, 8 February 2018

A cat has been spotted on Rangitoto Island, in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.

An irresponsible, cat-loving boatie is the likely culprit behind a domesticated pest threatening native birds on Auckland's Rangitoto and Motutapu islands.

John Craig, a former University of Auckland professor who received an ONZM for his work setting up Tiritiri Matangi island as a conservation sanctuary, dismissed speculation a feral cat might have swum to the islands in the Hauraki Gulf.

Motutapu is home to a number of endangered native bird species, including the pāteke or brown teal.

Rangitoto, the closest, sits about 11km from Auckland's CBD, and 7.5km from Devonport.

'Most avoid water and that's a long distance,' Craig said.

* Hauraki Gulf hermits swap the rat race for rat traps

* E-rat-icated: rodent removed from protected Tiritiri Matangi Island**

Two members of the public have reported seeing a black cat on the shoreline at Islington Bay, which lies in between the two islands.

The islands are a haven for native birds and have been free of cats, rats, possums and mice since 2011.

It's feared that a feline loose in the area could endanger the birds, which include the North Island brown kiwi, takahe, and tieke/saddleback.

Craig said the most likely scenario was a cat had crawled off a boat that had visited the islands.

'There's a lot of boat-owners that take their pets with them just like they take their children.

'Cats don't roam but if you're not watching, they could just take themselves off. It's an accident that can happen.'

A report released in May 2017 by the Parliamentary Commission for the Environment estimated domestic cats kill between five and 11 million birds each year.

Craig said New Zealand had lax regulations around cats, with far fewer rules around their ownership than applied to dogs.

'As a country I don't think New Zealand takes cat ownership responsibly at all. Other people's cats can wander onto anyone's property and eat your birds or whatever.

'I don't think that's reasonable personally.'

Two conservation dogs – which are trained to detect cats – and their handler arrived at Islington Bay on Thursday morning.

The Department of Conservation had also placed motion-sensitive cameras, cat-tracking devices and traps in the areas where the cat was reported.