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🇫🇷 France /Environment & Climate

Reunion Island's feral cats, 'serial killers,' to be sterilized to protect wildlife

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Veterinarians have begun sterilizing feral cats in the Mafate cirque on Reunion Island, an area only accessible by foot.
  • These cats are decimating endemic species, particularly the Barau's petrel, an endangered seabird.
  • The sterilization campaign, funded by the French government, aims to protect the island's unique biodiversity from these invasive predators.

Feral cats in the remote Mafate cirque on Reunion Island are being targeted in a new sterilization campaign to protect the island's fragile endemic biodiversity. Accessible only after hours of hiking, this isolated region has become a haven for stray cats that threaten native wildlife.

We have an enormous number of stray cats in Mafate, they rummage through the trash, they bother customers... It's a scourge!

— Oliver BègueA local business owner describes the problem of feral cats in the Mafate cirque.

Oliver Bègue, a local snack bar manager, described the cats as a "scourge," noting they scavenge through garbage and disturb customers. However, the cats' impact extends far beyond nuisance. They prey on nesting sites of the Barau's petrel, a seabird endemic to Reunion Island. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the petrel as endangered, with an estimated 1,000 individuals killed by cats annually.

They are serial killers, they kill far more than they eat.

— Quentin DesmailletA veterinarian explains the predatory impact of feral cats on endemic species.

Veterinarian Quentin Desmaillet stated, "They are serial killers, they kill far more than they eat." He explained that these cats pose a significant threat to the petrels, which lay only one egg per year. The loss of a parent bird can mean the destruction of multiple generations. To combat this, the Reunion National Park has launched a sterilization program, supported by 10,000 euros from the French government's green fund.

But these birds lay only one egg a year and the pairs are faithful. So, when a cat kills a parent, it destroys several generations of petrels.

— Quentin DesmailletThe veterinarian details the long-term consequences of cat predation on the Barau's petrel population.

The campaign involves transporting equipment on foot into the cirque. Volunteers like Flavie Campos assist in capturing the cats using baited cages, working alongside residents who often know the locations of feral cat colonies. This collaborative effort is crucial for the success of the operation, aiming to curb the cats' predatory impact and preserve the unique species of Reunion Island.

We have to transport more than 80 kilos of equipment on foot, for several hours.

— Quentin DesmailletThe veterinarian describes the logistical challenges of conducting the sterilization campaign in the remote Mafate cirque.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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