AVOID websites answering the question “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” If you search for “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” you may find yourself clicking on Google search result which takes you to a website which has been created by malware hackers. The site that you visit may download malware (poisonous software) to your computer where it steals your personal and financial details with the intention of stealing from you.
Clearly not all websites answering this question have been created to steal money but some have and therefore I’d use AI to answer the question. Anyway, the answer is at the end of this article. 😎💖
This disturbing news story comes from The Times newspaper of November 12th 2024. The reason why the criminal hackers have chosen the search term, “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” is because the webpages created by these criminals are likely to be at the top of Google search results as there is little competition from other websites for this information.
The search term was chosen to try and ensure that victims click on these malware webpages and lose money.
It has been described as a ‘poisoning of search results’ and it is interesting to me that they chose the Bengal cat. But the criminals could have chosen a search term that did not contain the word “cat”!
Experts at the cybersecurity company Sophos discovered it.
When you do a Google search and it says ‘there aren’t very many good answers for this’, that’s a good opportunity [for hackers]. They can say, ‘OK, I’m going to build a website that appears to answer the question and I’m going to use it for malicious purposes. – Sean Gallagher at Sophos.
Answer to the question
Bengal cats are partially restricted in Australia. Bengal cats are regulated under biosecurity laws due to their hybrid origin; they are a cross between domestic cats and the wild Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). Australian laws concerning Bengal cats vary by state and territory:
- Complete Prohibition:
- Australian Capital Territory (ACT): Bengal cats are banned outright. Owning, breeding, or importing them is not permitted.
- Allowed with Conditions:
- Queensland and South Australia: Bengal cats are allowed but must be at least five generations removed from their wild ancestors (F5 or later). This ensures they are fully domesticated and minimizes risks associated with their wild lineage.
- General Ownership:
- New South Wales, Victoria, and Northern Territory: Bengal cats can be owned without restrictions, and there are no specific generational requirements.
- Limited Ownership:
- Western Australia: Ownership is restricted to cats that are four generations or more removed from the Asian leopard cat (F4 or later).
This varying regulation is due to concerns about Bengal cats’ potential impact on native wildlife, as they are more active and retain some hunting instincts from their wild lineage.
