Cats responsible for the extinction of many of Australia's small mammals

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There is one topic which seems to become a news item every few years – the fact that domestic and feral cats kill billions of Australian native animals each year. Cats are versatile predators and very good at adapting to a wide range of habitats. They prey on anything in the right size range. In the last 200 years, cats have been a leading cause of extinction of at least 20 mammal species. Domestic cats, if left out at night, travel surprisingly long distances, despite what their owners might believe. Once cats become feral, the offspring quickly become much bigger and stronger than their domestic counterparts. Australia has several areas which are run as sanctuaries for native species. Several mainland areas have been fenced off and freed of predators. There are also some offshore islands where native species are now thriving under controlled conditions. We are going to another horse endurance ride next weekend. The venue is near the farm that once belonged to our family. I could ride my pony through the bush behind the farm. The area is renowned as a habitat for the banded anteater or numbat. Barna Mia is a refuge in the middle of the area where visitors can walk at night with infra-red torches and see the native animals come to feeding stations. The photo is of a numbat. Its tongue is 10cm long, sticky and used for extracting ants from logs and ant-nests.