On a tiny dot in the Indian Ocean, about 350 kilometers from Indonesia, lies one of Australia’s most remote and significant wildlife refuges.

But for more than a hundred years, a destructive introduced predator has roamed the island.

One of National Park manager Derek Ball's priorities has been to catch and remove feral cats.

If left unchecked, the felines will hunt and kill precious native wildlife.

“We estimate that over the last three years, if we hadn't been removing cats, they would have eaten over 32,000 giant geckos, which are endangered, and over 16,000 flying foxes, which are critically endangered, plus thousands and thousands and thousands of forest birds,” Ball explains.

Feral cats, found throughout Australia, have had access to an abundant buffet of native species on Christmas Island.

Each night, this team ventures out armed with night-vision gear and rifles.

Cats that can’t be removed by shooting are captured in traps.

In 2022, 300 cats were culled.

“The cat eradication campaign on Christmas Island is one of the most ambitious that's ever been undertaken across the globe,” says Ball.

The Federal Government has invested over four million Australian dollars (2.6 million dollars) in reducing the population.

More than 370 traps have been placed across Christmas Island, all aimed at safeguarding the island’s unique and threatened birds and reptiles.

But the initiative hasn’t been without controversy.

The Christmas Island Malay community has lived here for generations and cats hold a sacred place within the Islamic faith.

Some community members feel the eradication effort is unjust.

Former Shire president Gordon Thomson says the program has caused division among locals.

Pets on the island must now be registered, microchipped and neutered.

Despite the tension, the program is already delivering positive results for endangered species such as the red-tailed tropicbird.

“We've just finished our 2025 survey and we counted 340 nests with adults sitting on them. Very difficult on the mainland to remove invasive threats all together, but on an island, it is possible,” explains Threatened Species manager Alexia Jankowski.

Authorities are confident they can achieve complete eradication by next year.