The Sydney Ports ‘Port Botany’;
consist of two container terminals with six container vessel berths and a bulk liquids berth – complemented by container support businesses, bulk liquid berth storage facilities and private berths at Kurnell.
…
The facilities at Port Botany now account for over 70 per cent of Sydney Ports Corporations total trade throughput.
And is presently under expansion. This project will increase the shipping capabilities of this Sydney Port. All in all, a remarkable feat of human engineering.
It is also home to a small colony of cats.
Sydney Ports, arranged to have most of the cats caught and gassed by a pest control contractor, stating they were damaging to the ‘environment’.
The Sydney Ports spokesman said the Molineux Point lookout was deliberately planted with Australian native bushes and plants in an effort to encourage native fauna to the area.
“But wildlife barely exists in that area and this is, in Sydney Ports’ view, directly attributable to the feral cat population,” he said.
And that the cats were unhealthy because the environment was so bad. No really, they said that – no hint of irony.
“A recent count noted at least 40 feral cats on the point – it is a hostile environment and many of these unfortunate animals have cat flu and skin conditions.”
So Sydney Ports have killed 30 cats so far and there are less than a dozen left.
An animal welfare group has asked to be allowed to desex and return the remaining cats, but were refused;
The World League for the Protection of Animals (WLPA) sought permission to establish a colony of de-sexed cats in the area…
Instead the local activists were given two months to capture the cats with an extension until September 10 as an act of compassion.
A Sydney Ports spokesman said no further extension would be possible and any cats remaining would be trapped and removed to be dealt with in a humane manner by a professional feral animal control organisation.
So the remaining half dozen cats are environmental enemy #1 to this billion dollar project and they can’t possibly stay in their homes. Unable to invest in anything other that pest control companies, Sydney Port’s ‘act of compassion’, now sees The WLPA needing a bit of help…
Sydney Ports can be thanked for reasonable and completely appropriate response here: [email protected]
