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Prospects for Domestic and Feral Cat Management on an Inhabited Tropical Island

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Prospects for Domestic and Feral Cat Management on an Inhabited Tropical Island Biol Invasions DOI 10.1007/s10530-017-1446-9 ORIGINAL PAPER Prospects for domestic and feral cat management on an inhabited tropical island Ricardo Augusto Dias . Carlos Roberto Abraha˜o . Tatiane Micheletti . Paulo Roge´rio Mangini . Vinı´cius Peron de Oliveira Gasparotto . Hilda Fa´tima de Jesus Pena . Fernando Ferreira . James Charles Russell . Jean Carlos Ramos Silva Received: 25 May 2016 / Accepted: 28 April 2017 Ó Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 Abstract Cat management campaigns have been unsupervised) is strongly suggested as a management implemented on several islands worldwide. However, action on inhabited islands, as it might promote more few successful campaigns have occurred on perma- efficient and effective management of this species. nently inhabited islands. Cats are known for causing Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the tropical severe impacts on the native insular fauna, posing an Atlantic Ocean. The total cat population on the main important threat to biodiversity. Moreover, this island was estimated at 1287 animals, most of them species is also responsible for zoonosis maintenance supervised and subsidized around inhabited areas. and transmission. A thorough understanding of cat Free-roaming cats currently threaten the endemic population structure (e.g., supervised vs. terrestrial fauna of Fernando de Noronha, and the cat density found by the present work is among the highest ever recorded on an island. Using population dynamic Electronic supplementary material The online version of simulations, the long-term effects of reproduction this article (doi:10.1007/s10530-017-1446-9) contains supple- control and removal of cats from the archipelago were mentary material, which is available to authorized users. & R. A. Dias ( ) Á C. R. Abraha˜o Á P. R. Mangini Á T. Micheletti V. P. de Oliveira Gasparotto Á H. F. de Jesus Pena Á Fakulta¨t Umweltwissenschaften, Technische Universita¨t F. Ferreira Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, J. C. Russell University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando M. Paiva, School of Biological Sciences and Department of 87, Sa˜o Paulo, SP 05508-270, Brazil Statistics, University of Auckland, Private Bag, e-mail: [email protected] Auckland 92019, New Zealand R. A. Dias Á C. R. Abraha˜o Á T. Micheletti Á J. C. R. Silva P. R. Mangini Á V. P. de Oliveira Gasparotto Á Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal Rural J. C. R. Silva University of Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manoel de Brazilian Institute for Conservation Medicine – Trı´ade, Medeiros, s/n, Recife, PE 52171-900, Brazil Rua Silveira Lobo, 32, Recife, PE 52061-030, Brazil C. R. Abraha˜o National Center for Research and Conservation of Reptiles and Amphibians, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservac¸a˜o da Biodiversidade, Brazilian Ministry of Environment, Rua 229, 95, Goiaˆnia, GO 74605-090, Brazil 123 R. A. Dias et al. assessed. Removal of cats was also suggested as a Cats are usually introduced to islands to control rats necessary management strategy to achieve negative and as domestic companion animals. However, population growth. In addition, it was more cost- domesticated cats can revert to self-sufficiency effective than reproduction control. However, apply- quickly, showing predation behavior, natural court- ing both removal and sterilization strategies to this ship, and mate selection (Moseby et al. 2015). They population resulted in a higher population decrease can also reach high reproductive capacity without than removal alone. For these reasons, a combination human supervision (Nutter et al. 2004). The presence of reproductive control and cat eradication should be of cats can lead not only to predation of wild animals implemented in Fernando de Noronha. and ecosystem disruption but also to public nuisance, animal welfare issues, disease maintenance, and Keywords Cat Á Felis silvestris catus Á Fernando de transmission of disease to humans (zoonosis) and Noronha Á Management Á Conservation other animals (Robertson 2008; Medina et al. 2014). The most important zoonotic disease maintained by cats is toxoplasmosis, which can cause ophthalmic and Introduction brain damage or fetus malformation in humans (Dubey 2010). Zoonosis control is especially impor- Islands occupy an insignificant land area globally, but tant in remote locations and is, by itself, sufficient they are of considerable ecological importance due to justification for cat management to ensure public high terrestrial endemism and as breeding and resting health on inhabited islands. sites for marine birds. The archipelago of Fernando de Fernando de Noronha was discovered by Vespucci Noronha, located northeast of the Brazilian coast, is an in 1503, becoming the first Brazilian captaincy, but the important hotspot for seabird richness in the tropical first attempts at human occupation only occurred in Atlantic Ocean. Although not reported until the 1630 by the Dutch and in 1736 by the French (Linsker nineteenth century (Ridley 1888), domestic cats were et al. 2003;Tadaetal.2010). The invaders were probably introduced to the archipelago in its early days expelled in 1737 by the Portuguese, who began to of human occupation a few centuries prior. militarize the archipelago (Linsker et al. 2003). As soon The domestic cat is among 100 of the world’s worst as the archipelago was evacuated, the Portuguese invasive species (Lowe et al. 2000), acting as super- brought the first livestock animals (Tada et al. 2010). predators in island trophic webs (Nogales et al. 2013). The garrisons were built by prisoners brought from the Almost all extinctions of avian species on islands have continent, and, after the completion of the work in 1778, been caused by the introduction of mammalian preda- Fernando de Noronha became a correctional colony tors such as cats and rats (Blackburn et al. 2004;Doherty (Tada et al. 2010). In 1761, the population reached 1000 et al. 2016). Cats have been responsible for the people (400 soldiers and 600 prisoners), and in 1883, extinction of 11 avian, 4 mammal and 1 reptile species 2382 people (1561 of whom were prisoners) (Tada et al. on 120 islands (Medina et al. 2011). Cats also threaten or 2010). During the Second World War, the archipelago were responsible for the endangerment of 128 species was used as a military base, receiving approximately (95 birds, 18 mammals, and 15 reptiles), 36 (28.1%) of 3000 Brazilian and 300 American officers (Tada et al. which are considered critically endangered (Medina 2010). The political prisoners were transferred to the et al. 2011). Dietary studies showed that cats preyed continent during that period. The first civilian govern- upon 248 different species on 40 islands, especially ment was constituted only in 1987, when tourism birds (45.6%) (Bonnaud et al. 2011; Nogales et al. activities started to be implemented (Tada et al. 2010). 2013). Endemic island birds are especially vulnerable to Currently, there are eight daily commercial flights to cat predation due to their lack of behavioral adaptation Fernando de Noronha, placing it as one of the main and strategies to address predation by mammalian tourist destinations in Brazil. carnivores, apparent fidelity of nest sites, low generation No previous study has been conducted on the cat turnover and population sensitivity to adult mortality population of Fernando de Noronha, even though (Pontier et al. 2008). Predation pressure also affects sterilization campaigns have been in place since 2007. behavior and may cause separation of mates and In fact, few studies of cat population structure prior to abandonment of nest sites (Pontier et al. 2008). management strategies on islands have been 123 Prospects for domestic and feral cat management on an inhabited tropical island conducted worldwide. From 135 recorded cat eradi- 350 km from the Brazilian coast, in the Equatorial cation attempts, this estimation has only been made in South Atlantic (3°50028.900S, 32°24039.400W). The 47 (34.8%) (Nogales et al. 2004; Campbell et al. main island measures 16.4 km2 (Almeida 2002), with 2011). Moreover, most cat eradications occurred on five human settlements (Fig. 2) and a resident popu- small uninhabited islands (Nogales et al. 2004; lation of approximately 3000 inhabitants in 978 Campbell et al. 2011; DIISE 2015). Even though households (IBGE 2015). The other islands and islets precise population estimates are not necessary in are uninhabited. In 1986, an environmental protection implementing cat eradication methods, they are area (APA) (Fig. 2) was created around the inhabited essential to the long-term sustainability of control center of the main island, controlling the use of the measures, especially if social and financial consider- marine and terrestrial natural resources (Couto 2004). ations must be supported indefinitely. In 1988, the marine national park (PARNAMAR) Cat management on inhabited islands constitutes a (Fig. 2) was created around the uninhabited areas of logistic, scientific and political challenge. Considering the main island, covering almost 110 km2, including human supervision, i.e., subsidies, movement restric- 53% of the terrestrial area of the main island and all the tion and veterinary care provision, the cat population secondary islands and islets (Ferreira et al. 1990). can be divided into supervised and unsupervised. The archipelago’s landscape is mostly plains, and Supervised cats may be kept exclusively indoors, gently sloping hills are located in the center and on the under movement restriction (restricted), or allowed to southwestern tip of the main island, reaching a roam freely (unrestricted). Unsupervised cats are also maximum altitude of 323 m above sea level (Almeida unrestricted. In this category, there are cats that 2002; Linsker et al. 2003). Most of the PARNAMAR receive subsidies from people and tend to be more is composed of herbaceous vegetation, except for the domestic (commensal), but there may be cats that do hilltops and the southwest tip of the main island, which not rely on human subsidies and tend to present feral are composed of dense arboreal vegetation (ICMBio behavior, preying substantially on wild animals.
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