http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-17/feral-cat-proof-fence-to-be-built-in-australia/9766830

“The one thing we know that works is creating these very large feral-free cat areas. So we’ve created already a number around Australia, but Newhaven is where we are building the largest feral cat free area on the continent and it’s going to be a great project for some of Australia’s most endangered mammals,” Mr Fleming said.

snip

Construction of stage one which is 44 kilometres required 35,000 pickets, 1,600 kilometres of plain wire and more than 500 kilometres of netting.”

wowsers… that’s a huge undertaking

Arts said:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-17/feral-cat-proof-fence-to-be-built-in-australia/9766830

“The one thing we know that works is creating these very large feral-free cat areas. So we’ve created already a number around Australia, but Newhaven is where we are building the largest feral cat free area on the continent and it’s going to be a great project for some of Australia’s most endangered mammals,” Mr Fleming said.

snip

Construction of stage one which is 44 kilometres required 35,000 pickets, 1,600 kilometres of plain wire and more than 500 kilometres of netting.”

wowsers… that’s a huge undertaking

It is very good! I regularly donate to that project for cat exclusion so a few of those poles are from me. Unfortunately the offshore islands and these mainland fenced ones are the only way to protect our fauna. It is tragic that in this large wealthy country that we cannot afford to do better and must resort to this, but at least some animals are being protected and can be free from the relentless pursuit of the introduced predators, thus providing hope that not all is lost.

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-17/feral-cat-proof-fence-to-be-built-in-australia/9766830

“The one thing we know that works is creating these very large feral-free cat areas. So we’ve created already a number around Australia, but Newhaven is where we are building the largest feral cat free area on the continent and it’s going to be a great project for some of Australia’s most endangered mammals,” Mr Fleming said.

snip

Construction of stage one which is 44 kilometres required 35,000 pickets, 1,600 kilometres of plain wire and more than 500 kilometres of netting.”

wowsers… that’s a huge undertaking

It is very good! I regularly donate to that project for cat exclusion so a few of those poles are from me. Unfortunately the offshore islands and these mainland fenced ones are the only way to protect our fauna. It is tragic that in this large wealthy country that we cannot afford to do better and must resort to this, but at least some animals are being protected and can be free from the relentless pursuit of the introduced predators, thus providing hope that not all is lost.

My FiL reckoned we should give the army something to do.

Work for the dole project.

Divine Angel said:

Work for the dole project.

When I was a prject officer for the CYSS, the word dole was taboo. We used words like motivation for the unemployed.

I don’t know of any feral cat free area in Australia. AFAIK They can be found in every (?) national park and as far away from civilisation as the most remote waterhole.

> My FiL reckoned we should give the army something to do.

> Work for the dole project.

I agree. Almost. More than minimum wages apply.

mollwollfumble said:

I don’t know of any feral cat free area in Australia. AFAIK They can be found in every (?) national park and as far away from civilisation as the most remote waterhole.

The reserve for the night parrots in Qld is cat fenced and supposed to be cat free.

mollwollfumble said:

> My FiL reckoned we should give the army something to do.

> Work for the dole project.

I agree. Almost. More than minimum wages apply.

Yes.

cats are pretty good climbers.. fences seem ineffectual. maybe they have a roll bar on them or something.. I’m sure the boffins have it worked out

Perhaps I should put a cat proof fence around my front garden. Bloody neighbourhood cats pooping in it and digging up seedlings 😡

Divine Angel said:

Perhaps I should put a cat proof fence around my front garden. Bloody neighbourhood cats pooping in it and digging up seedlings 😡

Dog Bane plants are supposed to repel cats, too.

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

yeah I noticed that in the picture. I did wonder if it would be enough… but, as I said I’m sure they have done their research .. hope it works.

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

hope they do something about the bottom bit :)

Arts said:

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

yeah I noticed that in the picture. I did wonder if it would be enough… but, as I said I’m sure they have done their research .. hope it works.

This method has been used on other fenced predator free areas for many years and it seems to work very well.

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

• hope they do something about the bottom bit

At the end of the shift they realise that the female worker has no way to get home…

Arts said:

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

It’s wobbly.

It’s a variation of how to stop dogs jumping out of backyards. You use a frame at the top with the dog fence, but you leave the chicken wire wobbly.

Arts said:

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

hope they do something about the bottom bit :)

A six foot wide wire mesh is attached to the uppermost (open) wire, then is bent at ground level forming an ‘L’ (facing outwards) which stops any animal from digging under. The mesh on the ground usually has dollops of cement dumped on it to hold it down, or it can be buried.

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

The secret is having the top of the fence hang down in an arcing curve on the outside, this overhang stops even the most determined cat from climbing over.

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

The girl is on the outside of the fence. The overhang must be loose to be effective.

buffy said:

Arts said:

Bubblecar said:

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

It’s wobbly.

ah!

Arts said:

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

The fence is electrified too.

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

Bubblecar said:

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

The fence is electrified too.

my FIL just put some PVC piping along the top of his fence line.. when the cats go to jump it they just keep rolling back… although I don’t know how effective it is

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

PermeateFree said:

hope they do something about the bottom bit :)

A six foot wide wire mesh is attached to the uppermost (open) wire, then is bent at ground level forming an ‘L’ (facing outwards) which stops any animal from digging under. The mesh on the ground usually has dollops of cement dumped on it to hold it down, or it can be buried.

They could lay a minefield a few hundred meters wide on the outside.

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

Bubblecar said:

You’d think they could just grab hold of that and pull themselves over.

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

The fence is electrified too.

That fence certainly isn’t.

Arts said:

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

The fence is electrified too.

my FIL just put some PVC piping along the top of his fence line.. when the cats go to jump it they just keep rolling back… although I don’t know how effective it is

Cat claws are remarkably sharp.

sibeen said:

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

The fence is electrified too.

That fence certainly isn’t.

Yet.

sibeen said:

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

that’s what I was thinking too, but maybe they get ‘caught’ in the roll over and can’t figure to go down then over… so just go down. shrug

The fence is electrified too.

That fence certainly isn’t.

It is in the process of being constructed. All the materials needed to build these predator proof fences is very expensive and nothing like those used in farming.

Is it a heavy gauge chicken wire? Is this like the fencing they used in the now defunct ostrich farms, but with the rollover? I don’t know if they used electricity on the ostrich fences. I heard stories of the ostriches running into the fences with drastic consequences.

Bubblecar said:

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

hope they do something about the bottom bit :)

A six foot wide wire mesh is attached to the uppermost (open) wire, then is bent at ground level forming an ‘L’ (facing outwards) which stops any animal from digging under. The mesh on the ground usually has dollops of cement dumped on it to hold it down, or it can be buried.

They could lay a minefield a few hundred meters wide on the outside.

No, they couldn’t.

buffy said:

Is it a heavy gauge chicken wire? Is this like the fencing they used in the now defunct ostrich farms, but with the rollover? I don’t know if they used electricity on the ostrich fences. I heard stories of the ostriches running into the fences with drastic consequences.

Not chicken wire but the much stronger wire mesh.

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

Is it a heavy gauge chicken wire? Is this like the fencing they used in the now defunct ostrich farms, but with the rollover? I don’t know if they used electricity on the ostrich fences. I heard stories of the ostriches running into the fences with drastic consequences.

Not chicken wire but the much stronger wire mesh.

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

Is it a heavy gauge chicken wire? Is this like the fencing they used in the now defunct ostrich farms, but with the rollover? I don’t know if they used electricity on the ostrich fences. I heard stories of the ostriches running into the fences with drastic consequences.

Not chicken wire but the much stronger wire mesh.

https://www.arcfences.com.au/industrial-fencing/chainwire-cyclone1/

Michael V said:

PermeateFree said:

PermeateFree said:

Not chicken wire but the much stronger wire mesh.

https://www.arcfences.com.au/industrial-fencing/chainwire-cyclone1/

1960s basketball court wire.

:)

Has anyone actually tried that fence out with a family of real feral cats?

In a suitable shaded location put a family of say 20 or 30 real feral cats in good physical condition with water but no food inside a small enclosure fenced in this way. Film from a distance and so measure how many days it takes at least one of the cats to escape.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyzBDi2XyQ

I think I saw it on the ABC news site a nature photographer who was taking photos of a hawks scrubby twig nest in a tree and something stirred in it, a feral cat was peering over the edge.

mollwollfumble said:

Has anyone actually tried that fence out with a family of real feral cats?

In a suitable shaded location put a family of say 20 or 30 real feral cats in good physical condition with water but no food inside a small enclosure fenced in this way. Film from a distance and so measure how many days it takes at least one of the cats to escape.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyzBDi2XyQ

This cat proof system has been successfully used for years, it is NOT something new, only the size of the latest compound is unusual.

AwesomeO said:

I think I saw it on the ABC news site a nature photographer who was taking photos of a hawks scrubby twig nest in a tree and something stirred in it, a feral cat was peering over the edge.

Which of course indicates that the cat has taken out the top predators in the area and there is now nothing left to eat but other cats.

PermeateFree said:

This cat proof system has been successfully used for years, it is NOT something new, only the size of the latest compound is unusual.

Who said anything about it being new?

mollwollfumble said:

PermeateFree said:

This cat proof system has been successfully used for years, it is NOT something new, only the size of the latest compound is unusual.

Who said anything about it being new?

You seem to think that the fence would be easily crossed by determined cats. The fact that it has been used for many years is testament that it is highly effective in keeping cats out. Where these fences are used they are patrolled regularly to see if there are any breaks and for introduced predators. These fences are very expensive to construct and they would not go to such lengths if introduced predators could get over them.

There is an article about this in the Weekend Australian Magazine.

Drones, thousands of drones with laser pointers.