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Schiermonnikoog is to deploy drones to catch and remove its population of 70 stray cats, which pose a threat to wildlife on the Wadden island.
The drones will be equipped with heat-seeking cameras to hunt the cats, while AI technology will be used to distinguish the them from other creatures such as rabbits, hares and rats.
The cats will be rounded up and taken to the mainland, with the support of cat protection organisation Zwerfkatten Nederland. “It’s hard for them to find food and there is hardly any shelter for them in the open landscape,” CEO Carien Radstake told RTV Noord.
Durk Holwerda, of Schiermonnikoog natural park authority, said the technology had improved since the last, unsuccessful attempt to eliminate the stray cat population in 2022 using cameras and cages baited with tuna.
A total of 69 cats were caught during that operation, but two years later 35 strays were spotted on cameras and their numbers are estimated to have doubled since then.
Wait for cold weather #
Holwerda said the drone hunt was likely to take place later in the year, possibly in November or December. Heat cameras are more effective on cold days, but the drones cannot fly if the wind is too strong.
A trial of the drones in March was abandoned because of the weather, he said. “In hindsight it wasn’t the most suitable time or place. You need to fly on cold days when there is little sun. It was really too late.”
In 2020 Texel successfully captured all its stray cats in cages, in an operation co-ordinated by Zwerfkatten Nederland, but the exercise did not go entirely without a hitch. One domestic cat was caught, but quickly returned to its owner using its identifying chip.
“A magpie also flew into a cage, but the presence of sensors meant we could get to the scene quickly and release it,” Radstake said.
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