Savannah Cats

[Deleted]

As if we didn't have enough ferals already; now someone wants to bring even more cats to chew up our native birds.

Sign the petition here..

www.snakerescue.com.au/index.php?link=home

[youcantry]

The Key Threatening Process listing for red fox predation on Australian native fauna has this to say about foxes:

"4. Fox predation has been implicated in limiting habitat choice and population size of a number of medium-sized marsupials. Even at low densities foxes can eliminate remnant populations and jeopardise species recovery programs."

I would expect a single savannah cat escapee would easily have the same effect.

The same listing indicates foxes can be threatening for prey up to 5500 grams. Would Savannah cats take larger prey (regularly) - or about the same size?

Which lives longer? A cat or a fox?

[Deleted]

At last - Peter Garret has some something of positive benefit for the environment instead of lamely rubber stamping channel deepening, desalination and logging in "National Parks". The Savanna cat is banned
www.theage.com.au/national/garrett-bans-african-savannah-cat-20080802-3p04.html

[Deleted]

Nine MSN have been running a survey on whether the Govt is right to ban these critters, support for the ban is overwhelming - at this stage.

[johannes]

The Serval (savannah cats are domestic/serval hybrids) is a rodent specialist, as you can sea from its large external ears and huge auditoral bullae. 90% of its pray weighs less than 500g. The other 10% are, however, worrying. Servals can take hyraxes, and small antelopes, if they have the opportunity. This opportunity rarely arises in Africa, were Servals are usually outcompeted by Caracals. It might be otherwise in Australia. Even more worrying is the fact that servals have a very high success rate, one out of every two attempted hunts is successful. The question remains wether hybridisation with the domestic cat enhances (hybrid vigour) or diminishes the hunting skills of the serval. On the positive side, there are rumours that savannah cats actually kill and eat other domestic cats , and while females are fertile from the f1 generation on, males are usually infertile, even in the f5 generation.
Altogether I think it would be better to keep them out of Australia to be on the safe side.

[youcantry]

Hi johannes - can you please explain a little more what you mean by:

"while females are fertile from the f1 generation on, males are usually infertile, even in the f5 generation."?

Chris

[wally1]

Well I dunno how they would go with our local bigcat.
Bigcat will eat anything in the protein line and favouriite seems to be foxes, also feral cat. I dont see the feral or fox population suffering much.
Im sure if the seval came on the scene it would compete with bigcat and it would have to be good in the running stakes.
Talking of bigcat, I went tree planting a few weeks ago , naturally it rained and my coat was in the cruiser. I was not.
Anyway we were planting trees and shrubs along a watercourse so I went a bit further for a looksee and sure enough I found tracks of a bigcat, no giant but certainly not a feral or a dog, about 60mm 0r a bit more at a guess..
This was near the limit of Port Pirie, so I guess there are a couple of kittens planted somewhere scrounging dog and cat food.
I located an aggressive watchdog in my morning walks so tried out the cat skin. The skin is about 8 years old now and the stink is still obvious, to the dog anyway. It must know my foot steps as there hasnt been a sign of it since I gave it a wiff of the skin
I fell AOH off my pushbike the other week with only loss of skin, have to get one of those smaller bikes so I can put my feet on the ground, legs not as good as they used to be.
I tried out the camera on a friends cats that come around,
The camera seems to have too much delay as the cat has gone past before the camera fires.
Hopefully I can get to Parachilne soon and try for that elusive pic of a big fellow in Parachilna Gorge camp ground.
Kind regardsto all Wally

[johannes]

If you cross two species - lets say a serval and a domestic cat - the first generation, the direct product of the original hybridization, is called the f1 generation. If you mate those original hybrids either with other hybrids, or with members of the two original species, you get the secand generation, called the f2 generation, and so on. F5 are fifth generation hybrids.

[Wally1]

In the past I have mentioned bob cats on the Nullabor Plains and their spreading out.
I met a fellow a week aago who told me that a bobcat was seen a number of times on the W outskirts of Porrt Augusta.
This is the genuine article, bob tail, ruff around neck, pointy ears and tufts on ears, thick legs and bibber than the general feral.
My cat traps at Parachilna were knocked off so I will have to construct some more post haste as this is too good a chance ti miss out on, A lerson to attend them and trees to chain the trap to.
QFT do I hear a comment about my cat traps???
Wally

[wally1]

My bobcat thingy at Port Augusta is taking shape. Ive talked it over with the local bloke re attending the trap. I have dug out my old vocalising gear and it is still a worker.
What I need is genuine vocalisation of a bobcat to instal in the vocaliser. This or a good description of the call, then leave the rest to me.
Perhaps some of our American friends can help there.
I have considered the didgital camera but itis too valuable to leave in the bush near PA. Too many trailriders and bushwalkers.
Unless I can instal it in a chubb safe and chain that to a tree, same as the trap.
Cousin C from NE NSW tells me that it was reported in a local newspaper that 2 bobcats were once shot near a wheat silo in N Nsw. These were supposed to be the genuine animals
He is searching for the item.
Bobtailed cats have been reported in the Flinders ranges but from descriptions they appear to be caracals or more likely descendentts of a manx cat that may have been a pet at a railway maintenance camp.
A bobtailed cat was shot by an elderly orchardist at Quorn, north of Port Augusta. He threw the body under a bush, went homme and had a heart attack. After a time in hospital he returned home and found friends had moved in and cleaned up the orchard, so the cat body went to the tip with the rest of the clean up.
Regards to all Wally