Making Australia’s native animals poisonous could curb feral cats

An implant embedded in Australian animals that releases lethal poison when feral cats eat them could stop species being driven to extinction by cat predation

By Alice Klein

An implant that makes Australian animals lethally poisonous to cats that prey on them could help save species on the verge of extinction.

Cats have had a devastating impact on Australia’s wildlife since they were introduced by Europeans about 200 years ago. Up to 6.3 million feral cats now roam the country, killing an estimated 450 million native mammals each year, as well as many birds and reptiles. They have already contributed to more than 20 Australian …