About the Program and the Role
The Dudley Peninsula feral cat eradication program is one of the largest and most complex island feral cat eradications in the world. The program is applying a broad range of knockdown and specialist control tools, and cutting-edge technologies to overcome the challenges of working at scale and across multi-tenure landscapes to achieve eradication. Significant progress has been made in reducing the feral cat population over the last 12 months, attributable to high levels of community support, recent changes to feral cat control legislation, application of advanced technology and a highly skilled and dedicated team. The program is planning to deliver the final stages of feral cat population knockdown over the next 12 months, transitioning then to mop-up and proof of absence phases. In order to achieve this, the program requires Feral Cat Eradication Field Officers to support operations and the application of high-tech control technologies.

The Feral Cat Eradication Field Officer is predominantly a fieldwork role delivering on-ground actions to control and eradicate feral cats on Kangaroo Island. The incumbent will work within a passionate and dedicated team, often independently to apply advanced control technologies. Celium remote trap monitoring technology currently links over 1,000 trap (cage and soft-jaw leg hold) sensor nodes and 40 hubs or listening stations across the 38,000 ha Dudley Peninsula, making it Australia’s largest remotely monitored trap network.

Using this technology, the trap network is managed by field teams, seven days a week to maximise efficacy of operations. To compliment this technology, and for progressive eradication, the program is also applying a range of control tools including thermal ground shooting and drones, feral cat detection dogs, baiting and Felixer grooming traps. To monitor feral cat activity and eradication progress, 280 4G enabled field cameras linked to AI, process images in near real-time to inform on-ground control actions.

This hands-on role will see the incumbent working within a team to manage traps and other control tools. They will be responsible for the collection of field data, which provides information on the program’s progress and for reporting. A critical aspect of the role will be in developing and maintaining effective relationships with community and landholders to access properties to deliver coordinated and strategic cat control.