Science Media Centre

Animal welfare and conservation groups will jointly launch a plan for cats, addressing impacts on wildlife and cat owners. The National Cat Management Strategy calls for nationwide mandatory microchipping and desexing of domestic cats when ownership is transferred as part of an increased focus on responsible pet ownership. It also proposes ways to manage stray […]

In the hubbub following the Government’s call for a predator-free New Zealand, one point has been missing, writes Dr Wayne Linklater in the Dominion Post: NZ isn’t people-free. An excerpt (read in full here): Wayne Linklater: It’s a people problem, not a pest problem Increasingly, as recent efforts to make Stewart Island predator-free or neighbourhoods […]

New research championing New Zealand’s conservation approach to creating predator free islands has received wide media coverage. The study, published in PNAS, collated data from invasive mammal eradication projects on island around the globe. Examining 181 different islands, the researchers found 236 species – comprising almost 600 separate populations – had benefited from eradication projects. […]

New Zealand is leading the world when it comes to preserving islands’ unique and fragile wildlife by eliminating invasive mammals, according to new research. The international team of researchers, including several New Zealanders, systematically assessed the global impact of eradicating invasive mammals, such as rats, goats and cats, from islands. Their findings, published today in […]

Should cats be registered like dogs? Microchipped? Kept indoors? New Zealand vets are calling for a nationwide strategy to protect the welfare of our growing cat population and native wildlife. The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) this week released a commissioned report examining options for cat management, hoping to spur discussion around developing real solutions […]

After two days of heated debate on the issue of cats and conservation, Economist Gareth Morgan, the man behind the highly publicised Cats to Go campaign, has explained his views in an opinion piece published by the New Zealand Herald. You can read expert responses to the campaign here, and read some of the extensive […]

A campaign launched by economist Gareth Morgan to raise awareness about the impact of cats on native wildlife has elicited a range of opinions, but what does the evidence say? This week , Dr Morgan launched the Cats-to-go campaign, calling for further efforts to prevent cats killing native birds. Recommendations included: affixing bells to collars, keeping cats […]

Development of a cloning technique to produce genetically-modified cats will help medical research in both cats and humans, scientists say. US researcher Eric Poeschla  produced three transgenic cats with cells that resist infection from a virus that leads to a feline form of AIDS, by inserting monkey genes — that block the virus — into […]