Why Hunt Feral Animals in Australia An Overview of Feral Animals Feral animals refer to a group of animals that have

been domesticated but are now in a steady condition that resembles the wild animals. These animals are offsprings of some pets that have been discarded by humans and now live in forests or waste lands. Feral animals do not have human interactions, thus they have reverted to their wild state and these creatures do not trust humans. Feral animals in Australia charm the world with their perfect mix of danger and exoticness. The most popular animal that has been given the term feral is the cat because it delivers kittens that some owners cannot manage to feed and care for. Some of these cats are also abandoned by their owners and when they reproduce, these newly-born creatures become more unwanted by society. The same situation goes for dogs. However, in Australia, feral animals do not only comprise of cats and dogs but of bigger kinds like the red fox, the fallow deer, brown hares and rabbits, the swamp buffalo and the single-humped camel. Hence, there is a campaign purposed to eradicate feral animals because of their negative effect on animal ecology and to humans as well. They are no longer called companion animals because they have engaged in ferocious behavior suited to their new habitat. How Feral Animals Do Harm These animals were introduced to Australia by early settlers mainly for hunting purposes, and for food. Fox hunting was an exciting game, so they brought it down under, and red foxes proliferated. However, smaller native animals such as birds, bilby and bandicoots are eaten by the red fox. The fallow deer, brown hares and rabbits came from Europe. They were introduced into the forests to be hunted as food. These animals reproduce fast, especially the rabbit family. They threaten the survival of native animals by eating their food and destroy the habitat by creating burrows. The brumby (feral horse), pigs, swamp buffalo and camels are animals that have escaped from domestication or were released into the wilds. These animals are quite huge in sizes and they consume much food. They eat the food of small native animals, pollute the water sources by trampling on them and spread diseases to other animals. A Need for Feral Control It is not a light matter to realize that a considerable number of these animals are living in the Australian forests. Hunting them is one way to control the threatening feral population. The cities only have either dog or cat pounds but not enough space and manpower for feral and astray animals. Feral animals are different from stray ones, because ferals are considered wild due to lack of positive human interaction. Bigger animals are hard to capture if they are not hunted down. Animal shelter is not a feasible measure for control; it will entail a big cost in maintaining shelters. The same consideration goes to building animal sanctuaries; it needs money to be implemented. In addition, adoption will not be applicable to these animals; foxes, camels, dingos and buffalos do not make much

attraction of being held as pets, in the same line as they are now wild. Thus, the idea of hunting feral animals in Australia as a kind of control is acceptable. Besides, resorting to hunting will not take much work or incur large expenses. At any rate, there are enough animals that have been domesticated and if people want to have pets, they should source their animals out of wholly domesticated species. one piece review