A feral cat that eluded trappers for three years has been caught and killed on the Purerua peninsula in Northland, New Zealand, ending a prolonged threat to one of the country's most endangered birds. The cat, nicknamed "Nine Lives" for its uncanny ability to escape capture, is believed to have killed roughly 1% of the total population of pāteke (brown teal, New Zealand's rarest mainland duck), along with kiwi chicks and native geckos. Conservationists from the Pest Free Purerua project finally caught the animal on 30 July after noticing it had visited the same quarry three nights running and baiting the area with salmon, fried chicken and rabbit; its body will be taxidermied to help educate the public about the impact of feral cats on native wildlife.