Yes, we are back to that evergreen topic: the Australian government’s proposals to cull millions of feral cats in order to save native animals that they love and who define the nation. They’re making a choice between an invasive species that they dislike and native species which they love. They should remind themselves that they introduced this non-native species.
Over the previous years there have been many proposals as to how best to reduce the size of the feral cat population in Australia. Many of those methods were inhumane. As a consequence there was international uproar on the Internet.
The Minister for the Environment and Energy in Australia, Josh Frydenberg, is, we are told, planning to make an announcement in March with respect to the initial grants to encourage local communities to trap and then humanely euthanise feral cats. Now that sounds good and it is reinforced by what the Threatened Species Commissioner, Gregory Andrews has said. He has called upon every mayor in Australia to provide free euthanasia of trapped feral cats.
All well and good in some ways. Although I disagree with what I consider to be the constant drip-drip of misinformation from the Australian government about the impact on native species by feral cat predation. In my opinion it is exaggerated. It is certainly estimated. It is quite easy to exaggerate the predation numbers and the negative impact upon Australian native species because it is a way of justifying mass extermination of feral cats.
Putting that aspect of this process to one side for the moment, what is disturbing is that the government might be resurrecting some other ways to cull feral cats which are considered by the Australian RSPCA to be inhumane. I think it would be foolhardy for the Australian government to use cruel methods to kill feral cats. It would work against them and to a large extent nullify the so-called benefits of reducing the feral cat population.
Other methods being discussed and proposed are baits containing a poison and employing a robotlike device (a grooming trap) which sprays a nasty poison onto feral cats (and only feral cats) whereupon the poison is licked off and ingested. This device is meant to be able to differentiate between stray, domestic cats and feral cats. I doubt whether this is possible and I feel very strongly that this device will kill many pets.
Other methods of dealing with feral cats are employing guardian dogs to protect native species and using indigenous hunters, professional trappers and shooters to hunt and kill them. This would be inhumane. Another method would be to train prey to avoid feral cats. That seems to be far-fetched.
The government’s target is to cull 2 million feral cats by 2020. The authorities in Australia believe that science supports the argument that every feral cat kills 3 to 20 native animals a week or up to 1,000 per annum.
They are particularly concerned about super-sized male feral cats which prey upon larger native species. They consider the presence of these cats to be “catastropic”. In addition, the Australian authorities believe that many native species have a low reproductive rate and that they are more susceptible to predators such as the feral cat. The cull is designed to protect 124 species most at risk such as the bandicott, the numbat and the endangered bilby.
We are told that about 211,000 feral cats were culled in 2016. We don’t know how they were killed. Five islands including Kangaroo Island and Christmas Island have made plans to eliminate all feral cats and in addition to phase out domestic cats. Initially there will be strict regulations regarding keeping a pet cat such as requiring a license. It is certainly true that feral cat predation on islands is much more damaging to native species than on the mainland.
The only real question for people like me is whether the authorities deal with the feral cat population in a decent and humane manner. Their talk about poisoning feral cats is unacceptable. They should stick to trapping and euthanasia if they want to kill them. They believe that trap-neuter-release (TNR) is impractical. I’m not sure that what they’re proposing is practical because killing feral cats has proved in the past to be ineffective.
An illogical someone said, “What in heavens name makes you believe that I think that raising animals in cramped cages for slaughter is humane. I do not think it is humane. I hate it.”
Then why do you support it with every can, box, or bag of cat-food that you buy, or buy off the grocery store shelf for yourself? You know that’s what you are buying. If you don’t want to be a hypocrite stop buying any and all of it. Kill those animals yourself in whatever “humane” way that you think is truly humane. Or starve yourself and your cat(s). 🙂 And don’t go saying vegans don’t kill animals. Who do you think pays others to destroy all those animals to protect your crops, tilling the land-under to destroy all those animals on millions of acres of them alive or by gassing them to death with 100% ammonia gas in their lungs? Yes, vegans. You still can’t get out of this without being a total hypocrite, even if you were a 100% vegan.
What in heavens name makes you believe that I think that raising animals in cramped cages for slaughter is humane. I do not think it is humane. I hate it.
It is very strange that you can make the assumptions that you make. Perhaps you simply want to attack me in any way possible but on each occasion you fail.
You also delight in trying to insult me. Really your comments are simply pathetic. They are always pathetic. They are always incorrect and ill thought out. They are always biased. They are based on poor assumptions. They are based on incorrect facts.
I simply cannot allow you to make comments on this website any more.
Their method of course is to swat at the mosquito in the room while ignoring the swamp in their backyard. Feral cats have a source and it is continuous and seldom addressed with the harshness needed. Lousy pet owners.
We are approaching kitten season here. With numerous ways to get a low cost or even free spay/neuter thousands will be born and if they live to breeding age will add their own progeny to the feral population. I do not know of any cat owner (leaving out breeders) who keep intact cats in their home let alone take responsibility for the kittens that are often wild by the time the mother cats reveal them.
There is no pleasant way to deal with feral cat overpopulation. It would seem Australia is past TNR and that is the fault of not only the cat owners but the government for waiting until there was a crisis situation. Australia will have to deal with it in the eyes of the world. Humane trapping and euthanasia is their only option if they wish to retain any dignity in the world.
But raising animals who live in cramped cages and pens and in their own filth their whole lives and then slaughtered for your and your cats food is “humane”. Right? Because that’s what you want, that’s the humane way! One side of your brain applauds animals living their whole lives in suffering for your store-bought needs. And then the other side of your brain condemns those who would kill animals in methods even far more humanely than you use for your store-bought foods. Animals who lived full lives and then instantly died without even knowing they’ve been shot. SMH There’s no hope for you. You’ll just have to let both halves of your brain throttle themselves to death in trying to come to terms with your complete and total hypocrisy.
No you are wrong again. Just because hunting is allowed does not make it humane. It is inherently inhumane. You are a fool. Sorry but it is true. And you are arrogant. Fools often are.
Have you learned nothing? ALL methods of hunting and trapping that are allowed under the law are “humane”, or they couldn’t sell hunting licenses in any country on earth, they’d be in violation of their very own animal-cruelty and animal-abuse laws. Were you dropped on your head at an early age?