“I wake up every morning and I do what I’d do if I had $30 million. I’m a lucky man.”
There are two scenarios with this picture;
– either it was taken on mainland Australia, where the killing of cats is ineffective in the medium or long term, and the eradication of cats is unrealistic… and the display of a dead cat’s body by a so-called representative for companion animals is unethical, unnecessary and abhorrent.
– or, it was taken during an island trapping and poisoning campaign, or within a cat proof boundary, where eradication programs cost tens of millions of dollars to remove just a few hundred cats and causes a chain-reaction of even more killing, as a stable ecology is interrupted and prey species like rats, mice and rabbits balloon out of control… and the display of a dead cat’s body by a so-called representative for companion animals is unethical, unnecessary and abhorrent.
The idea that it can simply be explained away by saying ‘feral cats are a problem’ is nothing but a cop out by a species that should have a little more compassion considering ANY ecological problems we face were, and still are, primarily caused by humans.
I have a question. What would you suggest is done to fix this problem? It is caused by humans, and can only be dealt with by humans. So what is a better means of doing this?
LC – welcome! Thanks for dropping by :)
Check out ‘cats’ on the side bar for a background on the programs that are working around the world, but some good ones to get you started include;
Britain’s success in cat management, highlights our own failings
and
Solutions, not killing; cat management in New Zealand
:)
LC, shooting, poison, trapping have all been tried over many many years with little result.
The most Humane way would be for high volume/low cost?free desexing program to target the area’s that these animals are coming from in the first place.
Its not the only issue but would make a huge dent in breeding and abandoned animals.
Its being done all over the world, even in 3rd world country’s but unfortunately while we have very powerful groups such as the PIAA and the RSPCA involved in the decision making in this country nothing will be done.
The Man pic is the president of the PIAA, this organisation is currently one of the groups who are on the NSW companion animal task force ( as well as the RSPCA), so its full of “self interest” groups and no pro active outcome will be delivered.
Thanks for the information. But I personally can’t see that any of those would be significantly more practical, low cost or effective. “If a feral is well fed let it be”? It’s well fed because it’s feeding on native birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. This TNR program might let the cats live, but it’s also ensuring that millions of other species will die. I love cats, but I also love the versatility and uniqueness of Australia, and although we might be behind in our management programs compared to other countries, the fact is we need one that is personally suited to our ecosystem. We have so many animals that are ours alone, and we need to protect them as well. Maybe this is taking longer than we want, but at least something is being done about it.
So I can see where you are coming from, but I think so many people are failing to see the bigger picture.
“If a feral is well fed let it be”?
No – but unless the killing of the cat can be effective over the long term, then killing that cat for the purpose of ‘fixing’ a perceived problem is unethical.
You’re on a hiding to nowhere like we are now; killing tens, thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions… to save a few we deem ‘more’ worthy of life?
Eradication on the mainland is unrealistic. We cannot kill enough to make the self-sustaining feral population go away. Nor should we want to – according to the ‘Review of cat ecology and management strategies’ national report “… there is no unambiguous evidence to implicate (cats) as the sole agent for extinction of any native species in Australia”.
Killing ‘all’ the cats because they cause ‘extinction’ is an unrealistic goal based on a non-fact.
Cats eat animals certainly, but the prey primarily on small, introduced rodents (rats, mice), larger introduced rodents (rabbits) and the ‘doomed surplus’ – the slow, injured and old animals that are no longer contributing to their species by reproducing.
When cats are removed (temporarily!) from an area, it is the beginning of the killing, not the end. New poisoning programs must begin. It’s like that nursery rhyme “there was an old lady who swallowed a fly…”
Bigger picture means to look beyond the today. Killing a single cat in isolation in the name of conservation, is the very antithesis of bigger picture – it could be more accurately described as simply a human whim.
So this cat was killed ‘ humanely “???? .. How is it that has been shot in the abdomen unless it was standing on its hind legs ? Is that guy in the middle holding a lead and a trap ???
Humane … yeah right …!!! Shame on them..
What possible humane explanation is there for a man who represents himself as a caring animal person but stands grinning, apparently proudly, while holding up a strangled cat? This is vile and repugnant and I hope he’s shamed for it.
These monsters should be imprisoned – this is disgusting, vile, and evil. If you want to murder someone, then try it on yourself instead of helpless animals.
I too join with others to condemn this vile act and photo. You seriously cannot expect anyone to believe these people care for animals.
I realise feral cats must be eradicated, but not only it isn’t their fault they are there in the first place, but humane methods must be adhered to.
I cannot believe any animal lover would consider this appropriate in any way.
I hope those in this photo and those who took the photo are held up and shamed.
So right Evon… the detail is in the picture, its obvious the dog has chased it down or at least had a go at it, I noticed the trap immediately this guy trains dogs to hunt on wikipedia it states he trains dogs to follow cheetahs in Africa, there is nothing “humane” in this picture, this guy and associates should be prosecuted.