New Zealand Declares War on Feral Cats: All 2.5 Million to Be Eradicated by 2050
Wellington, 26 November 2025 (BNN Web Staff) – In a dramatic escalation of its world-famous conservation ambitions, New Zealand has officially added feral cats to its hit list under the Predator Free 2050 programme, vowing to completely eliminate the country’s estimated 2.5 million wild felines by mid-century.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka didn’t mince words, branding feral cats “stone-cold killers” of the nation’s unique wildlife.
“These are not your cuddly house pets,” Potaka said. “Feral cats live independently of humans, survive entirely by hunting, and are devastating our native birds, bats, lizards and insects.”
Devastating Toll on Iconic Species
- In just one week near Ohakune on the North Island, feral cats killed more than 100 short-tailed bats – one of the world’s rarest mammals.
- On Rakiura/Stewart Island, they have driven the pukunui (Southern New Zealand dotterel) to the brink of extinction.
- Across Aotearoa, these predators – which can grow up to 1 metre long (including tail) and weigh 7 kg – now roam from farmland to remote forests and coastal islands.
Feral cats also spread toxoplasmosis, a parasite that threatens dolphins, harms human health, and can infect livestock, causing economic losses for farmers.
Predator Free 2050: The Boldest Conservation Goal on Earth
Launched in 2016, Predator Free 2050 aims to rid New Zealand of the most damaging introduced predators. Until now, the target list included rats, possums, stoats, ferrets and weasels. Feral cats are the first new mammal to be formally added.
“Removing feral cats will allow our biodiversity to flourish, protect our heritage landscapes, and preserve New Zealand’s unique ecological identity,” Potaka declared.
How Will They Do It?
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is trialling innovative and controversial methods:
- Using non-toxic meat-based lures to attract cats
- Followed by 1080 poison baits (already widely used against possums and rats)
Critics warn that 1080 can harm non-target species, including native birds and dogs, but supporters argue it is the most effective tool available at scale.
A detailed national feral-cat eradication strategy is expected to be released by March 2026.
A Global Conservation Beacon
New Zealand is home to some of the rarest and most unusual wildlife on the planet – much of it found nowhere else. With no native land mammals except bats, its flightless birds and giant insects evolved in a predator-free paradise until humans introduced rats, cats, and stoats.
The country’s audacious goal of becoming the first nation to completely eliminate multiple invasive predator species has already inspired similar projects worldwide.
For now, the message to feral cats is clear: in New Zealand, the claws are about to come off – permanently.
