Add Feral Cats And Brumbies To Emerald Coast

[pearl silo]

Feral Cats Are A Huge Issue In Australia, And Hunting (Mostly In The Bush And Rural Areas Like Stations) Is Readily Available For Basically Anyone, And Considering How Heavily The Emerald Coast Missions Focus On Dealing With Invasives, It Seems Almost Hypocritical To Not Include The Most Prevalent Invasive Species. The Same Thing Goes For Brumbies, Which Are Feral Horses That Are Quite Widespread And Cause Lots Of Damage To Vegetation.

[onyx hazel]

I only see one issue with this and that’s EW receiving tons of backlash for adding what is essentially a house cat as a hunting species. Now, I know it’s necessary to hunt them irl but I doubt EW would add something like this

[thorn bough]

this ^

[pearl silo]

And That’s The Issue. People Need To Understand That Feral Cats Are Incredibly Destructive And Must Be Hunted/Trapped In Order To Ensure That They Don’t Make Things Go Extinct. In Australia Specifically They Are Actively Adapting To Hunting Wallabies, Pademelons, And Even Adolescent Kangaroos. They Are An Issue For Any Ecosystem They Are Introduced In. People Need To Stop Thinking With Their Emotions And Think Logically.

[onyx hazel]

I know they’re an issue in Australia and many other places and people need to understand that population control is necessary but adding them into cotw won’t do that

[pearl silo]

But It Could Introduce People to The Issue And Perhaps Get People To At Least Live Trap Them. Thats Already A Common Thing In The US, And I Have Done It. Plus, I Feel Like Elephants Would Still Get More Backlash Than Feral Cats Would.

[granite sail]

I feel the same way about Feral Horses in America,damn near a felony for shooting a nuisance pest.

[pearl silo]

Which I Don’t See As A Massive Issue, Because They’re Very Rare, And Cougars Tend To Kill Them A Decent Amount In Nevada And Utah. Australia Is A Completely Different Story.

[granite sail]

I wouldn’t see them as a massive issue if they weren’t so protected,like yes perhaps the first/second generations but there’s lineages that last so long,with no connection to where they came from.

[pearl silo]

True, There’s Really No Reason For Them To Be Protected, But If We’re Being Truthful, There’s Far Too Few Of Them For Them To Be A Huge Threat And Cause Too Much Damage. They Tend To Live In Areas Where Other Animals Don’t. Still, With Around 17,500 Horses In Nevada Alone, They Still Shouldn’t Be Protected In The State.

[granite sail]

Now that I think about it,If we ever get an Outback map,Brumbies could get a backfill to Emerald Coast.

[pearl silo]

I’m Just Surprised That They Weren’t On The Map To Begin With, Considering How Big The Missions Are On Hunting Invasive Species.

Add Feral Cats And Brumbies To Emerald Coast

This Is A Brumby For Anyone Wondering.

[hardy leaf]

I would really like to have them on the Emerald Coast map, they would have a wide range of fur just like the Feral Goats..

The important thing here is that EVERYONE understands that Australian Feral Cats are not Domestic Cats that escape from their human homes and go to the outback (how animal activists want to see them)...
Feral Cats are a wild species that have been reproducing almost without competitors since before the year 1800, eradicating native species and destroying the Australian environment.

The current morphological characteristics of the Feral Cats present in the interior of Australia differ greatly from domestic cats, they have shorter tails and ears, shorter and more muscular legs and neck; adaptations that they have acquired after several generations of living in the Australian natural environment.
Even in biology forums this topic always arises and they are taken as a new evolutionary branch, a variation of Felis silvestris catus.

[pearl silo]

Another Thing I’d Like To Mention Is That They Could Be Added To Other Maps Other Than Just Emerald Coast, Such As Te Awaroa.

[thorn bough]

again, EW will get massive backlash for adding what is essentially just a house cat to a hunting game
and if you think that people need to learn that its an issue then believe me people will not learn anything and attack EW instead

[elfin hamlet]

Ditto, people would kick off about this.

[undone juniper]

Tbh I personally don't have much interest in hunting Feral Cats in the game. A Feral Cat isn't that special, yes they're a problem animal in Australia, but Australia also has far more interesting animals that would be a much more worthwhile addition to the game (and probably less controversial too).

[thorn bough]

zebras
baboons

[elfin hamlet]

There’s a massive difference between shooting a wild animal that have never been domesticated house pets, and what is effectively a house cat gone wild.

You certainly would not see people advocating for us to shoot wild street dogs on the Mexico map, this is no diffrent

[thorn bough]

thats my point, but they really missed africas iconic animals

[undone juniper]

Australia has Feral Camels, Scrub Bulls, Water Buffalo, Wallabies, Emus, Dingoes, and a lot of other cool animals, and I'd rather hunt any of those in COTW than a feral cat. My point is, if EW wants to add more species to Emerald Coast or a brand new Australian map, there's far more interesting animals that they could include, instead of resorting to adding what is essentially just a stray house cat. Adding feral cats would be really scraping the bottom of the barrel in my opinion.

[gritty ore]

There are other feral animals in the game though. Nobody to my knowledge has been upset over those ones. But they also don’t live in almost every house. As much as I’d love to see feral cats brought to the game I can also see the backlash that would come with them.

[granite sail]

It’s more cruel to let them live out there.

[pearl silo]

Feral Cats Are Far Different Than House Cats. They’re Often Larger, More Aggressive, And Much Tougher.

[thorn bough]

and you think people are smart enough to see the difference?

[thorn bough]

goats and pigs arent house pets

[gritty ore]

That’s what I tried to say

[pearl silo]

And Neither Are Feral Cats. I Also Don’t See You Complaining About The Brumbies Which Are Just Horses.

[elfin hamlet]

It’s still a bloody cat😂

[granite sail]

TNR doesn’t work,adoption has a 98% chance of failure,the only method that we have left is culling.

[thorn bough]

feral cats are just cats but wild? and cats are housepets
feral goats are just goats but wild, however they are not housepets

[granite sail]

“Feral cats are considered wild animals and prefer to live their lives outdoors, their kittens can be rescued from the streets and put into loving homes as pets”.

[hardy leaf]

This is just an exercise, but can you recognize what animal this is? No, it's not a Cat

[thorn bough]

actually i can recognize what it is why

[granite sail]

Jaguarundi???

[granite sail]

“Adult feral cats are not socialized to people, which means they cannot be adopted to indoor homes”.

[thorn bough]

so?

[hardy leaf]

is a Leopardus geoffroyi..

It looks like a cat, behaves like a cat but does not belong to the Felis silvestris (domestic cat) family.

[granite sail]

It means hunting is all we have left.

[thorn bough]

ok? and how does this relate to the point

[gritty ore]

That’s what they used to do with horses

[granite sail]

Ok…but Horses can actually be tamed down,it’s way harder with cats(nearly impossible).

[hardy leaf]

Just because it looks like a Cat doesn't mean it's a domestic cat...
An animal requires a single generation to become feral, it happens with Goats, Pigs, Cows, Buffaloes and any other cattle or domestic animal, once an animal is born in nature it is Feral, and no matter how much it looks like a domestic animal is not...

Cats, Goats, Bulls were introduced to Australia in 1788, Brumbies in 1804, Camels in 1840, ..
Since the moment these animals set foot on Australian soil, they have been considered invasive species that alter the ecosystem..
There is no difference in shooting any of those animals

[gritty ore]

Sorry I wasn’t fully aware the point you were making

[hardy leaf]

Regardless of how controversial this species is, or whether it is possible to add it or not, it is an opportunity to show one of the uses of hunting, regardless of whether it is hunted for sport, trophy or for subsistence, hunting is an important means of population regulation, and in this case the elimination/control of species that affect the ecosystem, which would otherwise be impossible to disappear since there are no natural predators to combat or control them.

[pearl silo]

Correct. I Literally Argue About This On TikTok Most Nights.

[granite sail]

When will people learn.

[pearl silo]

I Feel Like People Should Separate Their Emotions From Logic. Logic Needs To Take Hold When Talking About Feral Cats. The Ones In Australia Routinely Reach 30 Pounds, Some Can Be Larger Than That. They Cause So Much Ecological Damage That They Have To Be Either Trapped Or Culled.

[pearl silo]

Goats, Pigs, And Several Other Species Like Waterfowl, Junglefowl, And The European Rabbit Would Beg To Differ.

[thorn bough]

how does this relate? the point is people would lash out at EW for adding a glorified house cat as a hunting species, and the difference between something like feral goats and feral cats is that cats are housepets

[pearl silo]

They Have European Rabbits In Game, Which Are Not Only A Pet, But Are An Endangered Species In The Wild. There’s Absolutely No Reason Why EW Couldn’t Add Feral Cats. The Point Is That People Need To Understand The Fact That Feral Cats Cause Tons Of Ecological Damage, And A Game As Influential As COTW Could Bring To Light The Reasons Why They Must Be Culled/Trapped.

[granite sail]

Yeah…those rabbits you see in pet stores are European Rabbits kiddo.

[thorn bough]

the population of people who own rabbits as pets is already small enough, and i highly doubt they know their rabbit is specifically an european rabbit
and i dont think people who own rabbits are gonna be playing this game

[granite sail]

There’s tons of people who own rabbits what are you on!

[pearl silo]

I’d Bet You My Soul That People Would Give A Crap If EW Added African Wild Cats (The Ancestors Of “Domestic” Cats) Onto A Map, Yet When Feral Cats That Have Gone Back To The Same Tendencies And Behaviors Of An African Wild Cat Are Added People Lose It. Also, I Own A Rabbit, I Know He’s A European Rabbit, And I Play This Game. I Know At Least 5 Other People Who Also Do.

[thorn bough]

compared to people who own cats? i dont think so but ok

[pearl silo]

I Own A Cat, And I Am Literally Advocating For Them To Be In This Game Because It Could Bring To Light How Much Of A Threat They Are To Biodiversity And The Ecology Of Many Places.

[thorn bough]

bro please stop capitalising every letter why 😭

[elfin hamlet]

I own a cat and I say it’s not appropriate, it will land epic in hot water with people.

[pearl silo]

Because I Can. I Understand That It’s Incorrect, But I Like The Way It Looks.

[thorn bough]

closest thing i could find to statistics, do you see the point
rabbits would classify as a small animal

[pearl silo]

This Is An African Wildcat. They Are Readily Available For Hunters To Go For On Most Safaris. If EW Added These Guys I Can Guarantee Most People Wouldn’t Bat An Eye, Despite Them Literally Being The Ancestors Of Modern Cats, With The Same Mannerisms And Behaviors Of Feral Cats In Australia.

[granite sail]

That should equate to about 1.5 million people.

[undone juniper]

To me, all of this controversy about ethics and whatnot is irrelevant. Hunting feral cats in COTW just doesn't interest me at all. Why would I want to hunt a feral domesticated cat in this game when I can hunt Lynxes, Bobcats, Lions, and Pumas in the game already, all of which are much more interesting felines? It just doesn't make sense to me.

And like I said before, of all the species that they could add to Emerald Coast, the Feral Cat is one of the least interesting ones.

[thorn bough]

🗿 what

[granite sail]

It’s not hard to understand,there’s 1.5 million people who own rabbits,making them the sixth most popular pet in the U.S.

[pearl silo]

We Don’t Have Any True Small Cat Species In Game. Feral Cats Could Not Only Be The First One, But Also (As I’ve Said About Umpteen Times Now) Bring To Light The Damages They Cause.

[thorn bough]

and do you realize how tiny that is compared to 46 million households with cats

[granite sail]

And around 2 million pet rabbits in total.

[granite sail]

Which just goes to show how bad of a problem this is,there’s too many irresponsible owners to credit the good,causing the mass havoc they are creating right now at this very moment,millions of song bird in the US alone.

[thorn bough]

theres around 45x less people with rabbits than cats, and then i doubt they know their rabbit is an european rabbit

[granite sail]

Most people who do research on their pet would know that…

[thorn bough]

and do you believe people do research on their pet??

[granite sail]

Yes😂😂😂 what kind of question is that,there wouldn’t be copious amounts of care guides on YouTube and google if there wasn’t a demand.

[thorn bough]

right and do those care guides specifically state that this is for an european rabbit
looking at youtube rn and all i see is "rabbit" and "bunny"

[granite sail]

Most do.

[granite sail]

Are you watching the whole video😂😂😂

[thorn bough]

are you?

[granite sail]

Actually most websites and videos show habitats,scientific names,range maps,wild counterparts,natural diets/resource if it doesn’t include those then you haven’t watched/read it in their entirety yet.

[pearl silo]

No, But They Should.

[hardy leaf]

We should add Feral Cats here too https://discord.com/channels/393040947006406657/1083099123743465492..
This is the list of birds that became extinct in 2023 due to Hawaii's feral cats 😞

[granite sail]

https://abcbirds.org/threat/cats-and-other-invasives/#:~:text=Today%2C more than 100 million,Least Tern and Wood Thrush.

[pearl silo]

Feral Cats Kill 2 BILLION Birds In The US Alone. Who Knows What They Do In Australia. Over 75 Species That We Know Of Have Gone Extinct Due To Feral Cats, And Its Probably In The Hundreds If We’re Being 100% Honest.

[thorn bough]

people being aware of feral cats would be great but the backlash EW would receive for adding (what people believe is) a glorified house cat is insane, and european rabbits can exist in the game because around 45x less people own rabbits than cats, and those people may not even know their rabbit is specifically an european rabbit and assume that the rabbits they see in game are a different, more wild species
thats my final statement basically

[undone juniper]

I mean, I get that side of it. I just don't see the appeal of it I suppose.

And I'd like to clarify, I'm not going to get angry if EW adds Feral Cats to the game, it's not something that would cause me to quit playing or leave a negative review or anything like that. I generally lean to the "add the controversial animals" side of things if it's an animal that can legally be hunted at all.

My issue here is, if we're going to get any new more Australian animals at all, the Feral Cat is probably the last animal I would pick. There's so many species that are so much more iconic of Australia, and more unique and interesting.

By the way, I don't see anything wrong with adding feral animals to the game. Australia has Feral Camels, I'd love to hunt one of those in the game! Feral Cats? Meh. I probably wouldn't bother with them. There's just simply no "wow" factor with them, no impressive horns/antlers, it's not an elusive or majestic animal, they aren't a species that you don't see every day. It's just an ordinary cat that has reverted to a primal lifestyle. There's just nothing special about them in my opinion and I don't see any reason to add them to the game, personally.

If you still want to see them in the game despite all of that, that's fine! You like what you like. I just don't support adding animals to the game that I won't enjoy hunting. That's all.

[thorn bough]

feral cats being boring is a great point aswell

[granite sail]

For small game hunters/people who want simulate Australia as best as possible it will be a massive draw,in Australia it’s often the first thing people hunt in their lives.

[thorn bough]

yknow not all people play this game to simulate irl hunts 1:1

[pearl silo]

I Feel Like They’d Be A Good Small Cat Species, And I Think The Potential Multimounts Could Be Awesome As Well. But The Main Reason That I Think EW Should Bring Them To The Game Is To Bring To Light How Destructive They Are. That Goes For All Feral Animals. Feral Camels, Brumbies, Feral Burros, And More. I’d Love Ti See Feral Camels, But They’ve Been Practically Eradicated From Queensland (Where Emerald Coast Is Set). Brumbies, Burrows, Wild Water Buffalo, Feral Cats, And European Rabbits Are All Viable Species To Add To Emerald Coast. I Think That Small Game Hunters Would Appreciate Them Being Added, As Would Many People That Advocate For Their Managements Irl. I Know It’s Not For Everyone, But It’s For Some People.

[gritty ore]

I feel at this point we are just beating a dead brumbie. Some want feral cat most think it’s crazy.

[elfin hamlet]

The cap usage here is genuinely bizarre, I almost can’t read it.

[hardy leaf]

Personally I would like it because they add a degree of importance to hunting as population control, also some history and current ecology of the region.
I have no problems with hunting them because I am from the north of Argentina, here we have 7 species of cats (4 small ones of the genus Leopardus, 1 medium-sized Herpailurus, 2 large cats pumas), it is common to see them in the forest and I have hunted some on occasions, we also learn to differentiate them since I hunt on private land and one of the owners' conditions is that we shoot Feral Cats because compete and displace other natives

[pearl silo]

Which I Think Is Awesome. I Would Like Them For These Main Reasons:

1. They Would Be The First True Small Cats In The Game, And The First Member Of The Genus Felis

2. The Aspect Of Bringing To Light To Population Control (As To Why Many Other Feral Species Should Be Added In My Opinion).

3. Another Small Game Species On Emerald Coast, Which Small Game Hunters And Overall Hunters Like Myself Would Very Much Enjoy.

4. It Would Only Be The Second Truly Controversial Species To Be Added, As Absolutely Nobody Cared About Rare Species Like European Bison Or Iberian Wolves Being Added To The Game, But Elephants, Feral Cats, Rhinos, And Others Are Considered Controversial.

[elfin hamlet]

All shooting is done in relation to game and population control?

The first controversial species was also lions

[pearl silo]

No, But On Emerald Coast The Hunting Of The Deer, Goats, Roos, Foxes, And Banteng Are All For Population Control.

Also, You Are Correct, Lions Were First, I Am Incorrect.

[elfin hamlet]

Mate on every map the context is population control. Hence why every map is a “Reserve”

[thorn bough]

as long as something isnt very closely related to a house pet not many people will care

[hardy leaf]

It is different for native species, in which case population control is done to reduce the herds and prevent them from depleting the region.
And in the case of Invasives it is to keep their populations in very small numbers or directly eradicate them from the ecosystem.

[pearl silo]

I Can Guarantee With Relative Certainty That If EW Added African Wild Cats To Vurhonga, Absolutely Nobody Would Care, Despite Them LITERALLY BEING THE ANCESTORS OF DOMESTIC AND FERAL CATS.

[thorn bough]

people would care, and wolves are ancestors of dogs

[pearl silo]

Modern Gray Wolves Are Not The Ancestors Of The Domestic Dog.

[elfin hamlet]

Please enough with the caps

There’s also a difference between being a genuine different species of the same genus, and being a feral animal of a domesticated one.

[thorn bough]

(its hard to read)

[pearl silo]

Nah, I’m Gonna Keep Typing How I’d Like To, Because Not Only Does It Help Me Keep My Rhythm While Typing On My Phone, But I Like The Way It Looks. If It’s That Hard To Read, Put On Some Reading Glasses.

[elfin hamlet]

You might as well be writing in hieroglyphics bud. People just won’t read it if you make it illegible.

[pearl silo]

That’s Hyperbolic And You Know It. I’m Speaking English. You Can Read It, And Understand What I’m Saying.

[thorn bough]

its not hyperbolic

[elfin hamlet]

It just looks really silly and immature? Ironic considering that earlier you were calling anyone who wanted Indian hunting “little kids”

Anyway. You have not convinced me that these would be a good addition to the game.

[gritty ore]

I didn’t even notice the caps until it was brought up

[pearl silo]

How Is It Immature? If I Were On My Computer I’d Be Typing Normally, But This Is How I Type On My Phone. And I Was Calling Them “Little Kids” Because All They Do Is Complain When They’re Told That India Has Outlawed Hunting And That Tigers Are Illegal To Hunt.

[worn garnet]

I don’t want to see these

[pearl silo]

Why Not?

[gritty ore]

You don’t have to hunt them if you don’t want to that’s the great thing about an open world hunting game you pick and choose your own hunt.

[pearl silo]

Exactly. I Don’t See The Point Of Acting Like We’re Saying You Have To Hunt Them.

[native pond]

Interesting, perhaps this may be a good topic for an E.W. Survey focused on different species and species recognition..

Most people don’t have issues with rabbit because many cultures still eat rabbit. I see a lot of suggestions on species getting hung up on species that would be considered taboo to eat. Ie. Not many people have ever tried peacock but it has been a delicacy for ages.

[azure matrix]

Nice to see this get bumped, I was expecting Feral Cats on the first Australian Reserve for this game and I say this as a person with several cats

[bitter heart]

As an Australian I want to DESTROY feral cats

[balmy sapphire]

Please

[tranquil cloak]

My God! 😟

[pearl silo]

Not only should we have the Feral Cats, but also Brumbies. They’re found throughout open areas in Queensland, and would fit very well in Drybone Plateau and Opal Point.

[bitter heart]

Well if we are to get horses to ride in game I don't think it would be 'friendly' to kill it's cousins

[pearl silo]

Then again, there’s a pretty big difference between a Brumby and a Domestic Horse.

[bitter heart]

In my opinion as an Australian I think donkeys or camels should be added. They cause a lot more trouble

[pearl silo]

Well, Camels aren’t really found in Queensland. Not sure about Donkeys tho.

[worn garnet]

Not sure about the horses, but I don't think cats are a good idea from a New Zealand perspective

[bitter heart]

Pretty much all across Central and north australia and queensland

I think EC should have had Red kangaroo instead of Eastern grays. The ingame roo range is very similar to red roos

[pearl silo]

Why not? They’re an incredibly invasive species in Australia that is widely available to hunt.

[worn garnet]

Do you live in Australia? It's like when people ask peacock to be added to Te Awaroa

[pearl silo]

No, but I know many Australians who have and will continue to hunt Feral Cats. Hell, in the EC mission line it mentions Feral Cats. There are entire documentaries on hunting and getting rid of Feral Cats.

[worn garnet]

Same in NZ but idk anyone who wants them added. We don't want possums either

[pearl silo]

Well I want them, and at least 38 other people want them, so you can’t say that nobody wants them.

[granite sail]

30+ already extinct
100+ threatened

[worn garnet]

It appears so. Yet rl hunters never talk about them here

[stable hornet]

as the owner of 1 cat, and co-owner of 4 more, I still approve! Cause my f*ckin cats stay inside. Im 10000% sure they wont put cats in because of the holier-than-thou uprest, but it makes a lot of sense

[worn garnet]

I suppose it could be alright as an aftetthought. Tahr in TA first please

[fossil elk]

Despite how controversial it may be I would like to see them come to the game to bring awareness of the issue feral cats have been to many species