PICTURES: Feral Cat Hunting painting by Lydia Ward (Supplied); Ecologist Rachel Paltridge; Ranger John West is an experienced feral cat hunter. (Supplied)

Expert trackers help save native species
Indigenous cat hunting is something that has been happening for more than a century at Kiwirrkurra, primarily for food.

ABC Kimberley reporter, Tyne Logan (Sun 13 Sep 2020) writes that: Each week at the edge of the Gibson Desert in the most remote community in Australia, a group of Pintupi Traditional Owners — mostly women — follow fresh tracks by foot through the spinifex grasslands ready to catch and kill a feral cat.

Ranger John West, who is an experienced cat hunter, says it is important for them to pass on the skills to younger generations.
 
But it is more than a tradition. New research has now shown its value as one of the most effective ways of protecting threatened species in the area.
 
Researchers say Indigenous expert trackers could potentially be drawn upon to conduct targeted cat control.
 
Published online in the CSIRO’s journal Wildlife Research this month, the paper explored how effective cat hunting by Indigenous tracking experts was in reducing cat impacts on threatened species.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Where to next?

There are many people who still live in modest houses, who have all they need to be happy and healthy.  They would say they have enough.
Then there are those for whom enough is never enough. One planet living doesn’t get a look in – it cramps their style.
How many of the former compared with how many of the latter, can the earth endure?

MMM … Issue 28, April 2022