“The only good cat is a flat cat.”
John Wamsley
Australian Prime Minister’s environmentalist of the year 2003

In 1991, John Wamsley appeared at a black-tie dinner sponsored by the South Australian tourism industry wearing a hat made of cat skins. He was taking a stand against felines proclaiming that “owning a cat in Australia is the single most damaging environmental thing an Australian can do.” (1)

Wamsley’s message resonated, and today all of Australia’s outdoor felines are targets for eradication. Even the number of indoor cats is on an ever steady decline.

The Plan

Wamsley, a former math professor, had “ a vision to create an area for native Australian animals like it was prior to European settlement.” (2) His dream eventually took the form of Earth Sanctuaries- a number of wildlife preserves inhabited by indigenous species in danger of extinction.

Before Wamsley could reintroduce the natives he had to exterminate the “invasives”. So, cats and foxes were brought into the sanctuaries to kill all the rabbits. Employees then dammed up the water sources, forcing wildlife to leave the park through specially designed gates which prevented their return. Any remaining “pests” were reportedly either shot or poisoned.

Wamsley needed an infusion of capital to expand, so investors were offered stock shares in Earth Sanctuaries Limited (ESL). Funds were raised to purchase large tracts of land for the future parks with a goal of eventually “buying up and managing 1% of the country.” (3)

The plan was to generate enough admission fees to cause the stock to rise in value. According to Outside Magazine, by 1999, “the stock had soared 8,000 %” (4) since the 1985 launch. During that period, John Wamsley owned six million shares of Earth Sanctuaries and by 2001, ESL had raised $18 million (U.S.). “In addition to its real estate holdings, the company has also a valuable supply of what its accountants refer to as ‘self-generating and regenerating assets’: wildlife.” (5) Wamsley was willing to sell his animals to anyone who wanted them, but required approval by reluctant government agencies.

When a group of animal activists interrupted his plans to eradicate feral animals in one of his sanctuaries; Wamsley decided to take his crusade public. Since felines were still protected in 1991, Wamsley was subject to legal action and penalties if charged. He had already “culled” all the cats from his first refuge in South Australia with no interference. In fact, Warrawong his initial project, was in the business of selling cat skin rugs and hats to visitors. When they ran short of felines, suppliers were offered $20 each for “properly tanned cat skins.” (6)

The “man in the cat skin hat” was featured in newspapers throughout the world, fueling debate and dividing Australians. Wamsley accelerated his campaign by attending public events, handing out recipes for “pussy-tail stew” and reminding his audience “the only good cat is a flat cat.”

His persistence paid off. By 1992, the law was changed. Regarding his victory, Wamsley remarked: “We can now shoot a cat on our sanctuaries even if it has a collar on and that’s all we wanted to do.” (7)

Wamsley’s effective anti-cat campaign served as the catalyst for a flurry of studies determined to prove once and for all, that cats were guilty of crimes against nature.