Effects of feline panleucopaenia on the population characteristics of feral cats on Marion Island.
Abstract
Virulent virus was introduced in 1977 to a feral cat population on the 290-km2 Marion Island, South Africa, where the cats were killing some 450 000 petrels each year. The population then decreased from an estimated 3409 cats in 1977 to 615 in 1982, at a mean annual rate of decrease of 29%. However, in 1982 the population decrease was only 8%, and antibody titres to the virus were lower than previously. Age structure, age-specific fertility and mortality rates over the observation period are presented.