LAND managers are being encouraged to throw their mobile phones into the war against feral cats.
The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre has launched a new feral cat mapping and reporting app called FeralCatScan to help reseachers build a nationwide picture of the feral cat problem.
Invasive Animals CRC project officer Peter West said feral cats were a nation-wide issue needing collective community effort to manage.
The FeralCatScan complements the existing FeralScan app
"The purpose of FeralCatScan is to provide the community and land managers with a tool for real-time reporting of feral cats, any management activities undertaken, photo's of impacts and, most importantly, using that collective information to identify practical solutions to the feral cat problem," Mr West said.
"Anyone can use the app or website to record feral cat activity and it is really easy to use. If you have seen a feral cat lately then I encourage you to record it in FeralCatScan."
In addition to their impact on wildlife, cats are responsible for spreading the parasitic disease toxoplasmosis and the infectious disease sarcosporidiosis which impact on livestock.
The app is able to be used in the field where mobile reception may be unreliable by storing feral cat records until mobile coverage is available.
The app is part of the FeralScan suite of app products and is free to download on the App Store for Apple iOS and Google Play for Android mobile devices.
Mark Phelps
Editor-in-chief of Queensland Country Life.
Editor-in-chief of Queensland Country Life.
