Karmactive Staff
An application to allow Bengal cats back into Australia has sparked strong opposition from environmental groups who warn these hybrid animals could worsen the country’s already severe feral cat problem.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is currently accepting public comments on an application to include Bengal cats on the Live Import List for non-commercial household pets. Submissions close on October 10, 2025.
Bengal cats, which are a cross between domestic cats and Asian leopard cats, were banned from import into Australia on March 1, 2025. This followed a policy review that found even Bengal cats claimed to be five generations removed from their wild ancestor often retained high percentages of Asian leopard cat genes.
“This crazy proposal, if approved, would reopen the door for allowing more of these genetic monsters into Australia, at a time when our wildlife is already buckling under the pressure of domestic cats,” said Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council.
Australia’s struggle with feral cats is well-documented. These predators kill over 1.5 billion native mammals, birds, reptiles, and frogs annually. They have contributed to the extinction of more than 20 Australian mammal species and currently threaten over 200 nationally threatened species.
What makes Bengal cats particularly concerning to environmentalists is their inherited traits from Asian leopard cats, which are rainforest animals and skilled climbers and swimmers. These abilities could spread through breeding with Australia’s feral cat population.
“When Bengal cats escape – as is inevitable – or breed with feral cats, they will add genes to the feral cat population that might adapt cats to more readily live in rainforests, hunt wildlife in trees, swim to cat-free islands, or scale the fences that protect threatened mammals inside havens,” explained Gough.
The national Feral Cat Threat Abatement Plan identified hybrid cats as a “very high priority” threat, noting they “have different body sizes, physical abilities, and behaviors that could give them access to native species that are currently less susceptible to impacts from the feral cat.”
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The application has raised questions about Australia’s live import processes. Environmental advocates argue that these processes need reform as part of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act reviews.
There is precedent for rejecting hybrid cat imports. In 2008, then-Environment Minister Peter Garrett refused an application to import savannah cats (hybrids of domestic cats and African servals) due to heightened predation risks to native wildlife.
While Bengal cat breeders and owners argue that modern Bengals are typically many generations removed from their wild ancestors and behave like domestic cats, conservation groups remain unconvinced.
The debate highlights the tension between pet ownership desires and environmental protection needs. For breeders, the import ban limits genetic diversity in Australia’s Bengal cat population. For conservationists, allowing these imports could worsen what they call “Australia’s cat crisis.”
The Environment Minister, who holds the decision-making authority on Live Import List matters, must weigh these competing concerns. The consultation asks the public to comment on whether these hybrid animals could survive in the Australian environment, what diseases they might carry, and the potential environmental impacts if they established a feral population.
Anyone wanting to contribute to the discussion can make submissions through the department’s website until the October 10 deadline. The outcome will set an important precedent for how Australia manages the risks of hybrid animals in a country already grappling with the devastating impacts of introduced predators.
