Lone tabby on its way to wiping out second generation of dotterels
A cat is on its way to single-handedly wiping out a second generation of dotterels on the shores of Wellington Harbour.
The lone tabby has been caught on camera by volunteers of the Mainland Island Restoration Organisation (Miro) raiding banded dotterel nests for the second consecutive breeding season at an Eastbourne colony - the species' only breeding site inside Wellington Harbour.
The cat has decimated seven nests so far this season by eating eggs and killing chicks
It is the same cat that last year destroyed all the Eastbourne colony's nests, said Miro committee member Parker Jones.
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Not a single chick survived to adulthood last breeding season at the beleaguered colony where a rogue weasel was believed to have wiped out the chicks during the 2017-2018 season.
Jones said the birds would renest within a few weeks but he was not confident the next cohort of chicks would fare any better.
"It's devastating for the volunteers who put in so much time to look after them."
Miro had decided not to release incriminating footage of the cat in the interest of keeping good relations with its owners.
Miro was powerless to stop the cat as there were no laws against allowing cats to prowl at night or against them predating native birds. Signs and wire to stop people walking over the colony did nothing to deter the feline.
Miro would give up protecting the colony if no chicks made it to adulthood next season, Jones said.
A colony further around the Pencarrow Coast was doing better with a 11 chicks having been sighted. Jones put that colony's success down to the isolation and intensive trapping - which included for feral cats - allowed in the area.
Banded dotterels carry the same nationally vulnerable conservation status as the great spotted kiwi and whio, or blue duck, but miss out when it comes to conservation funding, Jones said.
Hutt City Council is to examine its cat ownership bylaws and is currently undertaking a survey on cat control.
"Cats ... can be a risk to our native [animals]," said regulatory services manager Geoff Stuart.
"Once we've collected the responses from our survey we'll present them back to council who will decide what our next steps will be."
Kevin Hackwell, Forest & Bird chief conservation officer, said the negative impact of cats on native wildlife was well-documented and the solution was responsible pet ownership.
New Zealand's relaxed attitude towards pet ownership and regulation meant wildlife would continue to suffer.
He suggested New Zealand might take a leaf out of Australia's book where several jurisdictions had introduced bylaws to curb nighttime prowling and contain cats to their owners' properties .
Ultimately, he said, it came down to education about the problems their pets posed, and getting people to understand and appreciate New Zealand's flora and fauna.
Stuff