Residents seeking traps for feral cats in Darlington Point must now make a $50 bond payment to Murrumbidgee Shire Council.
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New rules introduced by council mean residents have to pay a $50 bond when requesting council owned traps to use in targeting the feral felines.
Resident James Tongue has been trapping cats for the council at his house in the Point for over 20 years.
The cats are decimating local bird life including wild parrots, with Mr Tongue himself having lost a dozen bantam chickens to cats.
Mr Tongue believes the cats stem from residents historically not having de-sexed their animals in town.
With methods such as poison baits being ineffective in killing of the cats, Mr Tongue is adamant that trapping must continue for the Point to be rid of the pests.
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Mr Tongue said he is unhappy with the bond rule as it will likely discourage many residents from disposing of cats in the best available manner helping trap the felines in council cages and then calling Local Land Services to collect the beasts.
He believes having to pay a bond to use a council owned cage is plain annoying, as the cages are no different to traps he already owns.
However, Mr Tongue believes most residents would be willing compromise and use cages provided by the council if a fee for not returning the cages was to be put on a resident’s rates.
Murrumbidgee Mayor Ruth McRae said “there is already a mechanism in which people can enter their credit card details as a bond and when the trap is returned, they just tear the entry up.”
“No one has spoken to me and my council about the problem and I would appreciate some contact about the problem my advice to the people who are concerned about this is to ask to speak with our manager of environment and planning Susan Appleyard,” Councillor McRae said.
As per the Riverina regional strategic pest animal management plan for 2018 to 2023, feral cats are a priority pest for action across the Murrumbidgee local government area.
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