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The Feral Cats Who Took Over a Frozen Island | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 9, 2025)
On a remote, windswept island in the subantarctic Indian Ocean, an unexpected predator reigns supreme—not wolves, not seals, but feral house cats.
Welcome to the Kerguelen Islands, one of the most isolated landmasses on Earth. Originally introduced to control rodents, these domestic cats escaped human oversight and evolved into fierce hunters, preying on penguins, seabirds, and anything else that moved. What started as a pest control solution became an ecological disaster—and a haunting case study in invasive species gone wild.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the wild rise of these apex cats, the devastating impact on native wildlife, and how biological invasions on remote islands like Kerguelen, Macquarie, and Marion have reshaped entire ecosystems.
It’s a jaw-dropping true story of cats vs. penguins, ecosystem collapse, and what happens when nature meets unintended consequences.
Topics include:
Kerguelen Island and the “Desolation Islands”
Feral cat overpopulation and invasive species
Penguin and seabird population decline
Failed eradication campaigns
Global parallels in New Zealand, Marion Island, and Macquarie Island
If you’ve ever said “my cat could never survive in the wild”—you might want to rethink that.
Sources
Chapuis, J.-L., et al. (2011). Eradication of feral cats on islands and biodiversity conservation: why the devil is in the detail. Biodiversity and Conservation, 20(5), 1147–1161.
Pascal, M., et al. (2010). Biological invasions in French overseas territories: biodiversity and development. Revue d'Écologie, 65, 21–35.
Bergstrom, D. M., et al. (2009). Indirect effects of invasive species removal devastate World Heritage Island. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46, 73–81.
Russell, J. C., & Clout, M. N. (2004). Rodent incursions on New Zealand islands. Biological Invasions, 6, 277–281.
National Science Foundation. (2008). Feral Cats Threaten Wildlife on Remote Islands. NSF Press Release.
#feralcats #invasivespecies #animalecology #penguins #ecologicaldisaster #dailyfacts #cats #housecats #kerguelenislands Music thanks to Zapsplat.
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By GordyOn a remote, windswept island in the subantarctic Indian Ocean, an unexpected predator reigns supreme—not wolves, not seals, but feral house cats.
Welcome to the Kerguelen Islands, one of the most isolated landmasses on Earth. Originally introduced to control rodents, these domestic cats escaped human oversight and evolved into fierce hunters, preying on penguins, seabirds, and anything else that moved. What started as a pest control solution became an ecological disaster—and a haunting case study in invasive species gone wild.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the wild rise of these apex cats, the devastating impact on native wildlife, and how biological invasions on remote islands like Kerguelen, Macquarie, and Marion have reshaped entire ecosystems.
It’s a jaw-dropping true story of cats vs. penguins, ecosystem collapse, and what happens when nature meets unintended consequences.
Topics include:
Kerguelen Island and the “Desolation Islands”
Feral cat overpopulation and invasive species
Penguin and seabird population decline
Failed eradication campaigns
Global parallels in New Zealand, Marion Island, and Macquarie Island
If you’ve ever said “my cat could never survive in the wild”—you might want to rethink that.
Sources
Chapuis, J.-L., et al. (2011). Eradication of feral cats on islands and biodiversity conservation: why the devil is in the detail. Biodiversity and Conservation, 20(5), 1147–1161.
Pascal, M., et al. (2010). Biological invasions in French overseas territories: biodiversity and development. Revue d'Écologie, 65, 21–35.
Bergstrom, D. M., et al. (2009). Indirect effects of invasive species removal devastate World Heritage Island. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46, 73–81.
Russell, J. C., & Clout, M. N. (2004). Rodent incursions on New Zealand islands. Biological Invasions, 6, 277–281.
National Science Foundation. (2008). Feral Cats Threaten Wildlife on Remote Islands. NSF Press Release.
#feralcats #invasivespecies #animalecology #penguins #ecologicaldisaster #dailyfacts #cats #housecats #kerguelenislands Music thanks to Zapsplat.