PETA Agrees Trap Neuter Release is Bad for Cats Rarely do we find ourselves agreeing with PETA of all people and we still have vast disagreements, but on rare occasions the mysteries of the cosmos align and common sense prevails.
TNR Feral Cats Rarely Die of Old Age: Another TNR Cat Road Kill
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Norfolk, VA --(Ammoland.com)- We have long stated that Trap Neuter and Release (TNR) is cruel for animals and the plague of feral cats on the environment is devastating to the natural wildlife, especially game birds, small mammals and reptiles.
Now PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, agrees and has posted a fact sheet on their website in support of removing feral cats fro the environment: “Feral Cats: Trapping Is the Kindest Solution”
Some important information from the PETA fact sheet:
“An estimated 70 million feral cats… Although ferals are fearful of humans, they are still members of a domesticated species, and they are ill-equipped to survive on their own. Feral cats do not die of “old age.””
“feral cats can pose a threat to wildlife. In 2002, a colony of rare native Hawaiian sea birds was all but destroyed by feral cats: Over the span of two weeks, nearly 100 birds were killed. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that free-roaming cats kill millions of birds every year and that “for every bird they kill, they kill at least three other animals.”
“Because of the huge number of feral cats and the severe shortage of good homes, the difficulty of socialization, and the dangers lurking where most feral cats live, it may be necessary—and the most compassionate choice—to euthanize feral cats.”
“Please do not allow the prospect of euthanasia to deter you from trapping feral cats. If you leave them where they are, they will almost certainly die a painful death. A painless injection is far kinder than any fate that feral cats will meet if they are left to survive on their own.”
It is rare that we find ourselves in agreement with PETA, but on the subject of feral cats PETA is 100% correct.
Please do everything you can to prevent towns from buying into the failed idea of TNR. It is expensive, horribly cruel for the cats and leads to widespread destruction of the local wildlife, especial game bird populations.
TNR IS bad for Cats and even worse for the environment.
Superior Court Orders City of Los Angeles To Stop Controversial Feral Cat TNR Feral Cat Program Halted Pending Environmental Review by Real Scientists.
Feral Cats Kill 10,000,000's of Game Birds & Small Animals Every Month
Urban Wildlands Group
Los Angeles, CA --(Ammoland.com)- Conservation groups win suit to force city to conduct required environmental review of feral cat program
Six conservation groups won a lawsuit on Friday against the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Animal Services to stop the practice of encouraging feral cat colonies until the legally required environmental impact reviews are performed.
The Los Angeles Superior Court found that the City of Los Angeles had been “secretly and unofficially” promoting “Trap-Neuter-Return,” a controversial program to allow feral cats to run free, even while the Department of Animal Services promised to conduct an environmental review of the program.
The Court ordered the City to stop implementing TNR.
The plaintiffs, The Urban Wildlands Group, Endangered Habitats League, Los Angeles Audubon Society, Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society, and the American Bird Conservancy, sued the City in June 2008 to ensure that the controversial program to sanction and maintain feral cat colonies was not implemented before a full and public environmental analysis.
The groups decided legal action was necessary after their investigation revealed that the City had been unofficially implementing a so-called “Trap-Neuter-Return” program and the City repeatedly declined their request to stop implementing the program until environmental review was performed.
Although the City insisted that no such program existed, the Court concurred with the conservation groups and concluded in its Friday ruling that, “implementation of the program is pervasive, albeit ‘informal and unspoken.”
“Our goal was to see that the City follows the California Environmental Quality Act by thoroughly assessing the program’s impacts on the environment and considering alternatives and mitigation measures before making specific programmatic decisions,” said Babak Naficy, attorney for plaintiffs.
“Feral cats have a range of impacts to wildlife, human health, and water quality in our cities. The impacts of institutionalizing the maintenance of feral cat colonies through TNR should be discussed in an open, public process before any such program is implemented,” Naficy said.
In June 2005, the Los Angeles Board of Animal Services Commissioners adopted TNR as the “preferred method of dealing with feral cat populations as its official policy.” Thereafter, the Board directed the General Manager to prepare an analysis of the program under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
This analysis was never completed but the Department implemented major portions of the program anyway.
The Department issued coupons for free or discounted spay/neuter procedures for feral cats being returned to neighborhoods and open spaces, including parks and wildlife areas. It also began refusing to accept trapped feral cats or to issue permits to residents to trap feral cats. The Department assisted outside organizations that performed TNR by donating public space, advertising their services, and referring the public to their TNR programs. The Department even encouraged and assisted in establishing new feral cat colonies at City-owned properties. The Superior Court recognized these actions as illegal implementation of the TNR program that could have an impact on the environment and enjoined the City from further pursuing the program until it complied with CEQA.
Dr. Travis Longcore, Science Director of The Urban Wildlands Group, said, “Feral cats are documented predators of native wildlife. We support spaying and neutering all cats in Los Angeles, which is the law, but do not support release of this non-native predator into our open spaces and neighborhoods where they kill birds and other wildlife.”
Even when fed by humans, cats instinctively hunt prey, including birds, lizards and small mammals. Colonies of feral cats, often thriving with the aid of handouts from humans, harm native wildlife and contaminate water bodies with fecal bacteria.
Longcore continued, “TNR is promoted as a way to reduce feral cat populations but scientific research shows that 70–90% of cats must be sterilized for cat populations to decline. This is virtually impossible to achieve in practice, but population reduction can be achieved with only 50% removal.”
The City must now stop its TNR program and any further proposal to implement such a program must undergo objective scientific review as part of the CEQA process. This will ensure that the public has adequate opportunity to comment and that significant impacts on parks, wildlife, water quality, and human health are avoided.
For further information about Trap-Neuter-Return see:
Longcore, T., C. Rich, and L. M. Sullivan. 2009. Critical assessment of claims regarding management of feral cats by trap–neuter–return. Conservation Biology 23(4):887–894. http://www.ca.audubon.org/chapter_assets/Longcoreetal2009ConBio.pdf
Williams, T. 2009. Felines fatales. Audubon Magazine. Sept-Oct, pp. 30–38. http://audubonmagazine.org/incite/incite0909.html
Hat Tip: http://tnrrealitycheck.com/legalert.asp
About: The Urban Wildlands Group is dedicated to the conservation of species, habitats, and ecological processes in urban and urbanizing areas.
In 1979, I was stationed at Ft. Benning Ga. I purchased a 22 cal target pistol and was told that before I could do so, I had to have a letter from the local police dept on their letterhead stating I was a “citizen of good standing”. I went to the local police dept and met with the Chief of Police who reached into a drawer in his desk and produced a letter from a stack, signed it and handed it to me. I recall his comments to this day. “Hell son, your white.”
The letter requirement was obviously a ploy to keep guns out of black hands.
I’m not waiting for a candidate who is “perfection” – just one that is “Republican”! The author seems to think that Romney is an actual choice – gun control and taxes to the max Romney – the Liberal. What’s the difference between Romney and Obama? Obama’s father was Kenyan, Romney’s was Mexican… Neither have the best interests of We the People at heart.
The more I look at this, the more I’m forced to conclude that there is only 1 party that can get elected – the Liberal Socialist party – and that what we have is simply warring factions (Paul excluded, he’s something else entirely). I’m tired of throwing away my votes for people who only wish to harm my family further… regardless of whether they call themselves Republican or not. So I’ll write in this time if necessary (I will NOT vote for Rombama or his Ilk). And it’s become clear to me that my votes DO NOT COUNT, and I’m not represented… and that I won’t be after November either.
