Dangerous predators and ravenous herbivores: the story of Australia's feral nightmare Isolation was once the impenetrable barrier that protected Australia and its unique fauna. But a little over two hundred years ago a foreign power took possession and brought with it the foreign animals which now dominate the country's ecosystem. They are the enemy within. Since that time, around 10 per cent of Australia's endemic terrestrial mammalian species have become extinct.Today Australia is dealing with the damage caused by all hard-hooved animals, domestic and feral. Yet the bigger feral story is the ravages of acclimatisation, as new settlers tried to make the colony more like their homeland and released the rabbit, the fox, the hare, feral cats, common mynahs, starlings, sparrows, redfin perch, and the many other invasive species that have brought natural Australia to its knees. Our country is now viewing feral animal eradication as a national issue requiring unified action plans. Using the latest technical and biological innovations, science is offering realistic hope of addressing the feral problems.