Mid Canterbury may soon introduce a cat management policy following a request from conservationists aiming to preserve birdlife in the region.
The Ashburton District Council will explore the possibility of implementing a cat policy after the Methven and Foothill Birdsong Initiative appealed for action to help maintain the area’s bird songs.
On Tuesday, representatives of the project, Barry Maister and Mac McElwain, presented their case to the district’s biodiversity advisory group, urging them to recommend that the council adopt a cat management policy.
The advisory group, which includes members from organizations such as Federated Farmers, the Department of Conservation (DOC), Environment Canterbury (ECan), Fish and Game, Forest and Bird, the birdsong initiative, and the council, expressed their support for the proposal.
McElwain pointed out that the detrimental impact of cats on biodiversity is well documented, but he emphasized that the issue is largely one of human responsibility.
“We don’t have enough responsible cat owners,” he said, stressing that if the issue of uncontrolled cats isn’t addressed, the birdsong project could fail.
In response, the Methven Community Board and the council are considering a landscape concept plan to develop a 2.5-hectare block of vacant council land next to the Garden of Harmony planting area. The goal is to enhance native birdlife in Methven.
A local trapping program in Methven has already removed approximately 80 possums, as well as numerous hedgehogs, rats, mice, and a stoat, over the past three months.
However, the town’s cat population remains a significant obstacle.
McElwain emphasized that the key to managing the cat population is desexing. He also highlighted the importance of microchipping and registering cats to ensure the safety of pets that may be caught in traps.
Council ecologist and biodiversity advisor Christian Chukwuka noted that feral cats are increasingly becoming a problem in the foothills and high country areas.
He cited the Lake Heron Conservation Society’s trapping efforts, which have caught 97 cats in the past seven years, raising questions about the origins of these cats, especially in areas with only a few houses.
“These cats are hunters migrating from urban areas to the food-rich high-country zones,” Chukwuka explained. “We must tackle this issue to prevent it from becoming a major threat to our biodiversity, not just in Methven and Ashburton, but in the surrounding rivers and high-country areas.”
Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown questioned whether a policy would deliver the desired outcomes or if alternative solutions should be considered.
In response, the biodiversity advisory group recommended that the council investigate the feasibility of a cat management policy.
The report will review policies implemented by other councils.
For example, the Selwyn District Council revised its Keeping Animals, Poultry, and Bees Bylaw in July 2022, mandating that all domestic cats over four months old be microchipped and registered. However, Selwyn does not manage cats directly or charge fees, as there is no national law requiring mandatory cat registration, unlike for dogs.
Selwyn’s Head of Regulatory Services, Susan Atherton, explained that microchipping and registration on a companion pet register help ensure that trapped cats can be identified as pets and returned to their owners.
Cat owners bear the cost of microchipping and registration, which ranges from $15 to $20 for microchipping, plus a vet fee, and a one-time registration fee of $15 with the New Zealand Companion Animal Register (NZCAR).
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