Australian Conservation Foundation – Blog
Recently my brother and his partner found a dead bandicoot in their yard. It had been killed by one of their cats. My brother’s partner, I’ll call her Sandra*, was very upset. She thought it was a possum and was devastated that one of her two cats, that are indoor/outdoor cats, could have killed it. My brother, trying to de-escalate the situation told Sandra that it was just a bandicoot. Sandra was okay with this and stopped crying. Her cats remain indoor/outdoor cats, even though she lives in a semi-rural area and has a multitude of native wildlife on her back doorstep.
When my brother related this story to me I asked him what made it easier for Sandra to deal with the death of a harmless creature if it was labelled as a bandicoot rather than a possum. He said that there are loads of bandicoots and Sandra thinks possums are cuter. I was astounded at the ignorance of two intelligent people. And I felt sorry for the bandicoot.
Bandicoots in Australia have suffered detrimental losses since European invasion and colonisation. According to data from Bush Heritage Australia, two species of bandicoot are now extinct and four of the remaining seven species face extinction. Now the two species endemic to the area where Sandra lives face local extinction due to predation by feral animals such as cats, dogs and foxes and land clearing for houses, businesses, farms and roads. Sandra lives in an area of south-east Queensland that has seen a massive increase in land-clearing for suburban development and road upgrades. The Long-nosed Bandicoot and the Northern Brown Bandicoot are already under pressure in eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales and need all the help they can get from pet owners. Just because someone may think a possum is cuter than a bandicoot or not should not justify the actions of a pet owner.
Domestic cats are pets, but when they are released into the wild their natural instincts are to hunt and feed. Since Australia is facing the embarrassing title of having pushed more animals than any other continent to extinction, it is up to the everyday person to try and help every creature they can by keeping their pets inside. When the State of the Environment Report was released in July 2022, we learned that the implementation of strategies five years ago have had minimal effect, with some species becoming even more threatened than in previous years.
Cats are responsible for the deaths of up to two billion native animals every year. It is up to each of us as individuals and pet owners to keep our beloved pets indoors, or in a car-friendly enclosure. This way they are safe from harm, and we can each help preserve and protect Australian native fauna, whether it be classed as cute or not.
*Sandra has been used in place of my brother’s partner’s real name to protect her privacy.