Cat traps back at Seal Bay after
two-month hiatus during bird flu’s spread
By DANIEL CLARKE
28/08/26
Feral cat traps are being reinstalled around Seal Bay to help protect vulnerable sea lion pups after the initial program ran out of money during the week H5 bird flu arrived in South Australia.
The renewal of cat control work comes after the Island Independent published a story last month (syndicated with Adelaide’s InDaily) that revealed almost $500,000 had been spent on catching 38 feral cats in the Seal Bay Conservation Park before the program was wound up on June 30.
Conservationists and tour operators have expressed anger and frustration at the absence of a trapping program to help protect one of our most iconic and vulnerable species, given the ideal time to trap feral cats is in the winter when food is scarce.
Cats can catch and transmit bird flu, typically being infected by eating sick birds. They can shed the virus in their saliva, nasal secretions and faeces, making them dangerous for sea lions that spend much of their time on land.
Despite the program running dormant for almost two months - allowing cat numbers to increase with breeding - Environment Minister Emily Bourke stated on ABC Radio on Monday that 70 per cent of feral cats at Seal Bay had been “removed” by the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board (KILB).
Given the Department of Environment and Water (DEW) confirmed to the Island Independent that a total of 38 feral cats were caught to June 30, the Minister’s figure suggests only 16 feral cats remain in over 6000 hectares of habitat.
When the Island Independent questioned DEW about the validity of this figure, a spokesperson responded: “There has been a 71.9 per cent reduction in feral cat sightings recorded through camera monitoring, compared with baseline monitoring undertaken before trapping. Camera detections are an indication of feral cat activity and abundance.”
It raises further questions about the government’s public statements, after DEW’s Director of Conservation and Wildlife Lisien Loan told a community forum on Kangaroo Island last month that “nearly 100 cats” had been trapped in the initial program – more than double the official figure.
Minister Bourke said today that the new trapping program would reduce the risks posed by feral cats which spread the deadly parasitic disease toxoplasmosis to sea lions and “every feral cat removed from the Seal Bay area is beneficial to protecting the colony”.
“We want to do everything we can to protect the endangered Australian sea lions at Seal Bay − they are an iconic marine species that hold a special place in the hearts of South Australians and attract visitors from across the globe,” Minister Bourke said.
“Controlling feral cats helps reduce the risk of losing sea lions to toxoplasmosis and increases the chance of protecting population numbers, at a time when they are also facing the increasing threat of H5 bird flu.”
She said that the Australian Sea Lion Resilience Project – funded by the Australian and South Australian governments – had supported the Seal Bay colony through measures to help them better withstand and recover from the potential spread of H5 bird flu.
These included treating pups with ivermectin to reduce hookworm burden and significantly improve survival rates, and the installation of pup shelters at high-risk colonies to reduce heat stress and the effects of incidental adult trauma.
Today's announcement comes after news a dolphin that washed up dead at Goolwa has tested positive to bird flu in an Australian first.
The case is one of 46 new confirmed bird flu events in South Australia reported by PIRSA today, including confirmation that a fox found in the dunes at Osborne contracted the deadly disease.