Drones to help in removal of stray cats from Dutch island

Stray cats will be evacuated from the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog with the help of drones equipped with thermal cameras and AI. The cats need to be removed as they pose a risk to native wildlife on the island. 

Schiermonnikoog to use drones to round up stray cat population

The Schiermonnikoog National Park will use drones in its next campaign to remove stray cats from the Dutch island. Feral cats have a negative impact on the island’s population of vulnerable birds and possibly also rabbits.

Drones equipped with thermal cameras will be deployed later in the year, probably in November or December, when the weather is better suited for flying the drones and heat signatures can more easily be seen. The drones will allow for a more targeted roundup of the strays.

"It is becoming increasingly sophisticated; with AI, we can also identify cats more and more easily. You can really tell whether it is a rabbit, hare, rat, or cat," a secretary at the Dutch national park Durk Holwerda told RTV Noord.

Stray cats impact Dutch island wildlife

This is not the first time stray cats have been removed from a Dutch island, an evacuation was also done on Texel a few years ago to protect wildlife. In fact, earlier trapping operations occurred on Schiermonnikoog itself but some cats managed to escape capture.

In 2023 and 2024, 69 feral cats were removed from the island, but by the end of 2024, 35 cats were still seen by wildlife cameras. "This is not a pleasant existence for them. It is difficult to find food and there is hardly any shelter to be found in the open landscape," said General Director Carien Radstake of Zwerfkatten Nederland.

Researchers believe their numbers have now increased further. Bait cages were used in previous missions, but they weren’t very successful. The drones should make the process easier. Stray cats that are captured are taken to animal shelters on the mainland.