In the vast, isolated landscapes of Australia, a ruthless campaign unfolds every single night, resulting in the death of five million native animals daily. The perpetrator is not a mythical beast or a newly discovered monster, but a creature found in millions of homes: the cat.
However, these are not lap-warmers; they are apex predators dominating every corner of the continent, from alpine peaks to remote deserts. On Bruny Island, off the coast of Tasmania, a specialized team launched a five-year operation to counter this threat, utilizing high-tech lasers, thermal weaponry, and toxic grooming traps to determine if this overwhelming tide can be stemmed.
An Invasive Force
European settlers introduced cats to Australia in the 18th century, and the animals quickly established populations independent of humans. Today, estimates place the number of feral cats between 2.1 and 6.3 million. These untamed felines have contributed to the extinction of 27 native species.
They are formidable hunters; ecologist Dr. Alex Paton has observed feral cats carrying away tiger snakes and, on one occasion, killing a five-kilogram pademelon. Beyond predation, they carry a parasite causing toxoplasmosis, which impacts the agricultural industry at a cost of roughly $6 billion annually.
Lasers and Trojan Horses
Traditional culling methods like shooting and trapping often fail to reduce cat numbers permanently. Consequently, scientists have developed high-tech alternatives. One such device is the Felixer grooming trap.
This box-like unit uses lasers, cameras, and algorithms to distinguish the shape and gait of a feral cat from native wildlife. When the system identifies a cat, it fires 8 milligrams of toxic gel onto the animal’s fur. The cat subsequently licks the gel off during grooming and dies.
Another method involves turning native animals into “Trojan horses.” Researchers implant a microchip-sized poison capsule under the skin of a native animal. The capsule is harmless to the host but degrades and releases toxins if a predator eats the animal.
The Battle for Bruny Island
Bruny Island, a sanctuary for endangered eastern quolls and little penguins, became a testing ground for these strategies. Managed by NRM South, a five-year project trialed various control methods. The team experimented with “Curiosity” baits—meat-based sausages containing a hard plastic toxin pellet. However, cameras revealed that native quolls removed 70 percent of the baits before cats could find them, rendering the method unsuitable for the island.
Thermal shooting proved more effective. Teams utilized rifles equipped with heat-sensitive scopes to identify and eliminate feral cats in the dark. The project also deployed Felixer traps in “photo-only” mode to test safety. After photographing 1,141 native animals, the machine did not misidentify a single one as a cat. While total eradication remains elusive, these trials provided a blueprint for keeping predator numbers low through constant, technological vigilance.
Five million native animals die every night in Australia, victims of a ruthless, silent massacre.
The killer is the feral cat, an apex predator haunting the continent.
On Bruny Island, a high-tech war began, using lasers and poison to stop the slaughter…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/mqrFzNE68O
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) November 24, 2025