AI helping rid Tasmanian island of feral cats

Artificial intelligence is being used to remove feral cats on a remote Tasmanian island in the hope of restoring it to its former glory.

Four Felixer cat grooming traps have been installed in testing mode on the 82 sq/km lungtalanana/Clarke Island, which is part of the Furneaux Group.

The highly sophisticated traps use AI and lasers to detect cats and distinguish cats from non-target wildlife and humans. Once detected, the device sprays the cat with a measured dose of 1080 gel, which it consumes when grooming itself. These devices are helping remove feral cats from remote and difficult to access landscapes

Eradicating feral cats will aid in the goal of repatriating ecological and culturally significant species, including the reintroduction of the Bass Strait Island wombat, the long-nosed potoroo and the Bennetts wallaby.

Read the full article here.