Nine Lives, the feral cat that terrorised New Zealand’s rare ducks, is caught after three years

Nine Lives, the feral cat that devastated a rare duck population in New Zealand for years, pictured in February 2024. Photograph: Pest Free Purerua

A notorious feral cat given the name “Nine Lives” because it eluded trappers for three years has been caught and killed in New Zealand, ending its devastating rampage against one of the country’s rare duck populations.

The cat, a large grey tabby, is estimated to have killed dozens of New Zealand’s rarest mainland duck – or 1% of its population – plus a host of kiwi chicks, native geckos and other native wildlife during the three years it was known to be roaming the Purerua peninsula, near the top of the North Island.