Researchers from the Charles Darwin University of Australia warned that the country is in danger of facing an extinction event due to the death of a huge number of mammals, BBC reported.
According to the researchers, Australia is the country with the highest death rate for land-based animals. In fact, in a span of 200 years, the country has lost more than 10 percent of its native animals.
In a report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers revealed that 11 percent of Australia's 273 land-based native mammals have disappeared or died since 1788; around 21% are considered endangered.
According to the researchers, the top reason behind the deaths of the mammals is predation by larger and more aggressive animals such as red foxes and wild cats, The Week has learned. In Australia, there are about 15 to 23 million feral cats roaming the land.
Since most of the country's native land mammals are composed of herbivores and small rodents such as the koala and the brush-tailed rabbit-rat, they are vulnerable against attacks by predators.
The researchers noted that if the large-scale predation on the mammals continues, Australia will lose a huge portion of its biodiversity.
"A further 56 Australian mammals are now threatened, indicating that this extremely high rate of biodiversity loss is likely to continue unless substantial changes are made," biologist and the study's lead author John Woinarski said in a statement according to the BBC.
As a solution, the researchers suggest implementing methods to ensure the protection and safety of Australia's native species. One of the techniques includes using controlled fire to drive away predators away from the natural habitat of the endangered mammals.
Woinarski noted that public awareness regarding the matter is also a vital aspect in the protection and conservation of the animals.
"The extent of the problem has been largely unappreciated until recently because much of the loss involves small, nocturnal, shy species with [little] public profile," he said. "Few Australians know of these species, let alone have seen them, so their loss has been largely unappreciated by the community."
