Feral animals wreak havoc at Stockton, NSW

ABC News

Tuesday Aug 13, 2013    

Photo: Dozens of feral cats and rabbits are creating problems
for the Stockton tourist park. (ABC News: Dan Cox)

Stockton Beach (NSW)  is suffering from another infestation of rabbits and a growing number of feral cats.

Dozens of the animals are creating problems for the nearby tourist park, causing damage to land and property while feral cats are also known to break into camp kitchens.
The problem has led Newcastle Council to again start its biannual rabbit baiting and cat trapping program this week, with the hope of freeing the site of at least some of the animals.
Nearby residents are advised to keep their pets away from the area for the next two weeks.
Manager of road and asset maintenance services Kosta Flamiatos says the animals are a constant nuisance.
"Ideally if we could run the program more often but we don't have the resources to do so," she said.
"But rabbits do reproduce and quite rapidly so it's something that's just ongoing and we have to keep on top of it."
Mr Flamiatos says there is about 50 cats living around the Stockton breakwall area.
"They actually look for foraging food, if there's not a lot food source for where they are, they'll venture into the tourist park and break into the park camps and kitchens and do damage around the parks as well," she said.
"They are, obviously if people come across them at night, they can be quite dangerous."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-13/feral-animals-wreak-havoc-at-stockton/4882464