in Australia

Feral animals are animals which have been introduced to an area where they do not occur naturally and which have become wild.

Many feral animals were once domestic pets, for example cats and dogs, that have now become wild.

Many feral animals in Australia originally came from other countries.

In Australia many feral animals are out of control.

Some of these animals were released on purpose. For example, early English settlers released rabbits.

The rabbits were soon breeding out of control with no natural predators or disease to control their numbers in Australia.

Soon after, foxes were introduced to reduce the rabbits but then became feral themselves.

Many feral animals were originally domesticated (pets), such as cats and dogs, which have escaped or been dumped and have become wild hunters.

A host of smaller creatures have been accidentally introduced such as garden snails, Argentine ants, some slaters, urban rats, house mice and even many earth worms.

Not every feral animal has a major impact, but many do and it is often very difficult to gauge the real impact of most of them.

The word 'pest' is generally used to describe an animal that causes serious damage to a valued resource. Such a pest may be destructive, a nuisance, noisy or simply not wanted.

A pest may be an animal that was originally introduced by humans to new lands - this is particularly the case in Australia. Or, it may be a native animal such as a kangaroo, possum or parrot.

It is important to note that people decide whether an animal is a pest. What is one person's pest may be a valuable resource to another.

For example, recreational hunters and meat processors may regard the feral pig as a valued resource rather than a pest.

Others believe that feral pigs are a threat to the environment and agriculture.

Are feral animals pests?