Traditional hunters and western science join forces in the fight against feral cats

Ecologists and Pintupi hunters in Australia's Gibson Desert are employing ancient techniques in a bid to control the feral cats that threaten native wildlife

When Pintupi hunters from the Kiwirrkurra community in the Gibson Desert in central Australia catch a feral cat, they have two tasks. The first is to lop off a bit of the tail to give to Central Desert Native Title Services (CDNTS) in exchange for a $100 bounty.

The second is to cut out the stomach, which goes into a dedicated, rather stinky freezer to await the attentions of ecologist Rachel Paltridge, who sifts through the stomach contents in front of a crowd of interested locals on her regular visits to the community.