Dingoes and Feral Cats.

Feral cats run rampant because of the lack of balance that now characterises our ecosystems. A crucial step is to be returning the dingo to landscapes, so that they can resume their important ecological roles. Scientific research is strongly suggesting that dingoes not only kill cats but also instill fear in them, which means that they avoid areas and times where dingoes are active. Hence dingoes can provide a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week, cat control service.!!! The truth, The dingo benefits ecosystems through top–down control of mesopredators and herbivores. However sadly, dingoes are often subject to lethal control aimed at minimizing attacks on livestock. Lethal control affects both the abundance and behaviour of apex predators. These changes in turn influence the abundance and behaviour of mesopredators. Research in remote camera surveys at nine pairs of large Australian rangeland properties, comparing properties that controlled dingoes with properties that did not, to test the effects of predator control on dingo activity and to evaluate the responses of a mesopredator, the feral cat. Indices of dingo abundance were generally reduced on properties that practiced dingo control, in comparison with paired properties that did not, although the effect size of control was variable. Dingoes in uncontrolled populations were active in twilight, similar to major prey. In populations subject to control, dingoes became less active around dusk, and activity was concentrated in the period shortly before dawn. Shifts in feral cat abundance indices between properties with and without dingo control were inversely related to corresponding shifts in indices of dingo abundance. There was also a negative relationship between predator visitation rates at individual camera stations, suggesting cats avoided areas where dingoes were locally common. Reduced activity by dingoes at dusk was associated with higher activity of cats at dusk. Their results suggest that effective dingo control not only leads to higher abundance of feral cats, but allows them to optimize hunting behaviour when dingoes are less active. This double effect amplify's the impacts of dingo control on prey species selected by cats. In areas managed for conservation, stable dingo populations contribute to management objectives by restricting feral cat access to prey populations. Predator control not only reduces indices of apex predator abundance but also modify's their behaviour. Hence, indicators other than abundance, such as behavioural patterns, should be considered when estimating a predator's capacity to effectively interact with lower trophic guilds. Changes to apex predator behaviour relaxes limitations on the behaviour of mesopredators, providing enhanced access to resources and prey.