Mikurajima Feral Cats Kill 30,000 Near Threatened Streaked Shearwaters Annually, Putting World’s Largest Breeding Colony at Risk

The streaked shearwater, a seabird classified as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, is being preyed upon by feral cats on Mikurajima Island in the Izu Islands at a rate exceeding 30,000 birds per year, according to a study released by a team that includes the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute. Almost the entire island is designated as a national park, and the researchers urge the national and Tokyo metropolitan governments to strengthen control measures.