Cat hunt called off after 'no evidence' found on Rangitoto and Motutapu islands

Thursday, 22 February 2018

Two people reported seeing a black cat at Islington Bay, but motion-sensitive cameras and conservation dogs failed to find any feline activity (file photo).

A search for a wayward feline on two of Auckland's islands has been halted after it found no trace of the elusive moggy.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has been hunting for a black cat, reported by two members of the public on Rangitoto and Motutapu islands, since February 8.

Both reported seeing the cat on the shoreline at Islington Bay, which connects the two islands.

DOC spokesman Keith Gell said on Thursday 'no evidence' of a cat had been found and the hunt was being 'scaled down'.

**READ MORE:

The distinctive tieke/saddleback is among the native birds found on the two islands.

* Reports of black cat on pest-free Rangitoto and Motutapu islands

* Irresponsible boatie blamed for cat sightings on Rangitoto Island**

Two conservation dogs, Milo and Rio, and their handler were now leaving the islands, he said.

Motion-sensitive cameras had also picked up no signs of a cat.

Rangitoto and Motutapu have been free of cats, rats, possums and mice since 2011.

They have since become a haven for native birds, including the North Island brown kiwi, tieke/saddleback, takahe, korimako/bellbird and kakariki.

Gell said he wanted to thank the two people who reported seeing the cat, and encouraged others to speak up if they saw cats or dogs on pest-free islands.