Census of feral cats on the island of La Graciosa

Last week, a team from the Group of Ecology and Evolution on Islands at the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology participated in the creation of a census of the feral cats of Caleta de Sebo, the only inhabited village in La Graciosa, using photographic identification .

After five days of work, it is estimated that there may be around one hundred feral cats in the village, although this won't be confirmed until the identification works are completed.

This would indicate a high population density of these animals for such a small town.

To the potential problems that the presence of this species may cause on the natural values of the island, there is also the concern for the unhealthy appearance that specialists noticed in some of the individuals monitored. In addition to the collaboration of IPNA-CSIC, this work has been supported through a grant from the Cabildo de Lanzarote to the association Amigos de las Pardelas and the support of the Cabildo de La Palma, which allowed the participation of a cat technician from this corporation. If you want to know more about the impact that feral cat populations have in the Islands, please check this article by the researcher and director of the IPNA-CSIC Manuel Nogales.