Tagged: predation

The dog is in the henhouse: did the kurī (Polynesian dog) have an impact on New Zealand’s wildlife? - Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives

Nic Rawlence • Dec 16, 2021 •

• archaeology,
• birds,
• Diet,
• dog,
• habitat disturbance,
• Hunting,
• Māori,
• palaeoecology,
• Polynesia,
• predation

The hunter stalks its prey through the forest, following the wafting invisible trail of musky odor straight to the kiwi burrow. Within a few months, the dog has killed over 20 kiwi. You would think this event occurred recently, given the frequent headlines of dogs killing or attacking our unique wildlife, or the feral dog populations causing … Read More

A tale of two penguins: Bice and Rosie - Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives

Nic Rawlence • Mar 05, 2018 •

• Bice's Penguin,
• Biodiversity,
• Cretaceous,
• Dinosaurs,
• evolution,
• extinction,
• fossil,
• marine life,
• New Zealand,
• Paleocene,
• penguin,
• predation,
• Rosie's Penguin

New Zealand has long been considered the cradle of penguin evolution. But two new fossil discoveries, affectionately known as Bice’s, (pronounced Bee-chee’s), and Rosie’s Penguins, are rewriting early penguin evolution and have taken the world by storm. Move aside Penguins of Madagascar; there are some new and cool kids on the block! But how did we get to this … Read More

The bark side: domestic dogs threaten endangered species worldwide - Guest Work

Guest Author • May 02, 2017 •

• canine,
• conservation,
• dogs,
• native,
• predation,
• species

By Tim Doherty, Deakin University; Aaron J. Wirsing, University of Washington; Chris Dickman, University of Sydney; Dale Nimmo, Charles Sturt University; Euan Ritchie, Deakin University, and Thomas Newsome, Deakin University Humans and their canine companions share many close bonds. Wolves (Canis lupus) were the first animal domesticated by … Read More

Annihilate, really? – show me the evidence - Politecol

- Wayne Linklater • Dec 18, 2013 •

• #cats-to-go,
• #catstogo,
• cats and native wildlife,
• domestic cat,
• ecology,
• Environment and Ecology,
• mesopredator release,
• native wildlife,
• predation,
• Raglan,
• science communication,
• scientific evidence,
• urban wildlife

The nation missed an important opportunity at Raglan. If cats have been removed from the Raglan community then, had we the time beforehand to prepare, we could have tested whether cats were a beneficial urban predator, as claimed here and here. Cats on evidence. Evidence on cats… and their relationship with other … Read More

Presence of native species, not evidence all is hunky-dory - Politecol

- Wayne Linklater • Nov 26, 2013 •

• #catstogo,
• cats and native wildlife,
• domestic cat,
• Environment and Ecology,
• Peng You,
• predation,
• predator density,
• prey,
• urban wildlife

Just because native species persist in our backyards despite being hunted by predators, like cats, it does not mean their populations are healthy. Our backyard can be a sink-hole for native species. Each killed is replaced by recolonisers who are themsleves be killed (photo source: inhabitat.com) Cats might be a “beneficial urban predator” according to Dr. John Flux. Read More

Dr. Flux’s cat misleads us - Politecol

- Wayne Linklater • Nov 18, 2013 •

• cats and native wildlife,
• domestic cat,
• environment and ecology,
• Peng You,
• predation,
• prey,
• urban

Our cats bring us only a fraction, less than half, of their prey and we are less likely to see the small, more palatable prey, like small reptiles and nestlings (Source: www.kittycat.co.za). Cats are a “beneficial urban predator” according to Dr. John Flux and his conclusion featured prominently in the media to have a … Read More

At home with cats - Politecol

- Wayne Linklater • May 17, 2013 •

• #cats-to-go,
• domestic cats,
• environment and ecology,
• free-roaming,
• indoor cats,
• Karori,
• litter box,
• predation,
• wildlife

My cats died. I buried them – head to toe, together – in my rambling garden below the kowhai tree. I don’t garden on their grave. It is a weedy sinking mound – a tribute to what the living cannot control. I met my cats because I fell in … Read More

Wanted – pied pipers for New Zealand - Politecol

- Wayne Linklater • Apr 06, 2013 •

• Biodiversity,
• conservation,
• environment and ecology,
• lure,
• pest animal,
• predation,
• trap

Lures have been critical to the control of New Zealand’ introduced mammalian pests.  Convincing a mammal, like a rat, to visit or enter a trap and behave in ways that trigger its lethal mechanism has depended largely on food lures – aniseed, chocolate, peanut butter, eggs, meat and many more. Read More

Trap-neuter-release or Trap-kill-$5? - Politecol

- Wayne Linklater • Jan 30, 2013 •

• environment and ecology,
• feral cat,
• predation,
• stray cat,
• toxoplasmosis,
• trap-neuter-release

To my horror, but thanks to Dr. Gareth Morgan’s recent announcement that he will donate $5 to Bob Kerridge’s SPCA for every cat they euthanize rather than release, I discovered that some factions of the SPCA are releasing cats into our cities, towns and countryside – lots of cats. Bob Kerridge – CEO SPCA – … Read More

Do domestic cats exterminate native animal populations? - Politecol

- Wayne Linklater • Jan 24, 2013 •

• cats,
• domestic cats,
• environment and ecology,
• feral cats,
• predation,
• stray

Domestic cats kill native animals – fact. But… … just because our cats kill it does not necessarily mean that native animal populations cannot co-exist, or even thrive, where our feline companions live. Two considerations determine whether cat-kill exterminates native prey populations: 1. how many cats there are, and 2. how fast native animal populations in our backyards … Read More