‘Bird killing machines’: New Zealand cools on cats to protect native wildlife

The number of households in New Zealand that own cats has declined over the last decade, as concerns over their impact on native animals grows. Photograph: Vasiliy Vishnevskiy/Alamy

Out in the bush beyond his house, John McConnell walks with his gun, looking for the glint of eyes in the darkness.

McConnell, 67, lives outside Auckland and spends much of his time planting native trees on this block of land, trying to restore parts of it to their original state to draw back the chorus of native birds. At night, he heads out to hunt the predators that threaten them: possums, rats, and these days, any un-collared feline unlucky enough to end up in his sights.