Rick Beatty is a landholder who got in touch with Wheatbelt NRM recently when he heard about the Mortlock Connections project.

Rick is a sheep and wheat farmer with extensive bush blocks on his farm in Kulja which is dotted with mallee fowl mounds. He has been having problems with rabbits, foxes and feral cats.

Once his cage traps and rabbit bait stations were delivered (September 2016), Rick had immediate success with trapping two feral cats.

The first cat was captured on the very first night he set up the traps. Rick sent us a message the next day, with a photo of the trapped cat.

“One night. One trap. One cat.”

A few nights later, the second cat was captured.

“Same trap. Same site. Different cat. Big cat!”

While not everyone has as immediate success with cage traps, they DO work but it can take time for the target animals to become familiar with the traps rather than wary of them.

Cat #1 - in the trap

Quick tips for using cage traps:

• Cover trap floor lightly with dirt so target animal doesn’t walk on metal.
• Place trap on an animal trail.
• Use free feeding – to encourage target animals to feel safe around the trap. Feed animals around the trap and then inside the trap without it going off. After a few nights of free feeding, set the trap.
• Use a lure – for foxes use chemical odour lures (available from stores or the internet); for cats place a shiny object above the trap to entice them to explore further.