French actress Brigitte Bardot has condemned Environment Minister Greg Hunt's plan to cull 2 million feral cats to stop them harming native animals.
Bardot has argued in an open letter to the minister that the money set aside to destroy the animals would be better spent on setting up a large-scale sterilization campaign.
Feral cats have been identified as the main culprit behind Australia's high rate of mammal extinction, with more than 10 per cent of native mammal species wiped out since European settlement two centuries ago.
Hunt said a target of eradicating 2 million feral cats had been set for 2020, in addition to creating feral-free enclosures to aid the recovery of birds and mammals, among other measures.
The government has stressed the eradication of cats will be carried out humanely, but Bardot urged it to reconsider the plan which she said was "appalling" to the international community.
The actress, 80, said Australia's public image was being hurt by its culling of animals.
Earlier this year officials said that close to 700 koalas had been killed off in south-eastern Australia because overpopulation led to the animals starving, while feral camels and wild horses have been culled in the outback to stop them destroying land.
"Your country is sullied by the blood of millions of innocent animals, so please, don't add cats to this morbid record," Bardot wrote.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said the culling of animals had been proven in the past to be ineffective and called on the Government to look for long-term, non-lethal solutions including suppressing the cats' fertility.
Animals Australia said it was skeptical the government's proposed measures would make a significant difference to the wild cat population.
"It's worth noting that the primary and most significant threat to the continued existence of Australia's native species is the destruction of their habitat and food sources," Animal Australia's Lisa Chalk said.
PHOTO: Brigitte Bardot says Australia's public image is being hurt by its culling of animals.
CREDIT: AFP Photo / Eric Feferberg.