Cat Traps Coming to Beach and Zoo

Cats are soon to be removed from around Brooklands Zoo and Bell Block Beach to help nearby wildlife.

The initiative aims to remove feral cats from the proximity of little blue penguins at the beach, and the zoo’s animals.

“We’ll be using humane traps, and the New Plymouth SPCA will make every effort to rehome the cats to an environment that best suits them,” says Manager Parks Mark Bruhn.

The two-month night-time trapping programme starts on 20 July.

Cat owners who live near Pukekura Park and Bell Block Beach are being asked to keep their cats indoor at night to stop them roaming, and to put collars on their animals so that the SPCA can contact owners if their pets are caught.

“We have a sizeable population of cats – about 30 at this stage – living in the park after being dumped there, and other domestic cats also roam there during the day and at night,” says Mr Bruhn.

“The cats are a problem because they can be the source of a disease called toxoplasmosis which causes fits, blindness, paralysis and death in many zoo animals, and they have occasionally killed some of the small zoo animals – such as birds and guinea pigs.

“At Bell Block Beach there’s a feral population alongside the nesting boxes for little blue penguins.

“We need to remove the feral population from both the beach and the park and if we can also get a better control of the domestic population, so much the better.”

Letters have been sent to homeowners near the beach and the park to inform them of the initiative.