Zoo Researcher Found Guilty Of Poisoning Cats

[Sisyphus]

Nico Dauphine, the National Zoo bird researcher who was arrested for sprinkling rat poison in the food bowls of a feral cat colony in her Washington D.C. neighborhood was found guilty of animal cruelty.

Source: http://www.care2.com/causes/zoo-researc ... -cats.html

[yadayada]

There are two issues here. Her motivations and her methods. She is to be commended for her logical desire, as a bird researcher, to limit the population explosion of feral cats that do tremendous harm to the native bird population but not to their rivals: blackbirds, pigeons, and the like. But then she is to be condemned for her methods which are unquestionably crude and cruel to the cats. She should have sought other means to suit her goals. After the fact, bird lovers will sympathize with her, but all cat owners will be outraged by her actions.

[Fuqin]

I don’t even like non feral cats they do exactly the same damage to the environment as feral cats destroying native species wherever they can be found, people think because they feed them they won’t hunt ‘WRONG’.
when are animal welfare agencies gona wake up and start enforcing fines on people for not having there cats de-sexed , unregistered, and not kept indoors (or is that cruel too) all for the sake of giving people warm fuzzy feelings, I really hate cats but more than that I hate cat owners and breeders it constantly pisses me off to find dead lizards, native honey eaters, and marsupials. And what’s cruel? Has anyone ever watched a domestic cat with its pray, they play with it till it dies of fear , give me a gun I’m going cat hunting.

[Lomax]

and not kept indoors (or is that cruel too)

Yes, I should think so. Which leaves us with something of a dilemma.

Conversely, I don't think that animals killing other animals is an issue for animal welfare agencies. We can't guarantee a comfortable death for every animal, and populations tend to balance out the same either way (for reasons of which I'm sure you are aware).

[mtbturtle]

Fuqin, don't worry Maxx hates you also.

Lomax, I don't think it's cruel to keep your pets indoors, including cats and have done so with my cats for about 15-20 years. (ok Maxx gets to go outside but only for a few minutes with supervision or leash.) It's better for their health if you don't let them wander around the neighborhood.

[Paralith]

and not kept indoors (or is that cruel too)

Yes, I should think so. Which leaves us with something of a dilemma.

Conversely, I don't think that animals killing other animals is an issue for animal welfare agencies. We can't guarantee a comfortable death for every animal, and populations tend to balance out the same either way (for reasons of which I'm sure you are aware).

The American Humane Society states that it is a myth that cats cannot be happy if kept indoors. If given comfortable surroundings, good food, things to climb, things to scratch, and things to chase, cats are very content with an indoor life. And most humane animal associations completely understand and try to limit the effects cats have on local wildlife and each other, when let outside to wander as they please.

Lomax, I'm not sure what you mean by "populations tends to balance out the same either way" - indigenous small animal populations everywhere suffer and shrink when domesticated cats are introduced to their environment. Just do a little searching about the effect of cats on wildlife in Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands if you need convincing.

[Fuqin]

Mt_Fuqin, don't worry Maxx hates you also.

ha ha ha well at least maxx is honest , on a less environmental level and just a matter of personal aesthetics I don’t like those sycophantic felines at least if I get hate back there is some genuine communication happening,

Mt-Have done so with my cats for about 15-20 years

Good for you and as it should be, my Xwife had cats and she likewise kept them indoors, and apparently if de sexed they live longer and heather.

[Lomax]

Lomax, I don't think it's cruel to keep your pets indoors, including cats and have done so with my cats for about 15-20 years. (ok Maxx gets to go outside but only for a few minutes with supervision or leash.) It's better for their health if you don't let them wander around the neighborhood.

The American Humane Society states that it is a myth that cats cannot be happy if kept indoors. If given comfortable surroundings, good food, things to climb, things to scratch, and things to chase, cats are very content with an indoor life. And most humane animal associations completely understand and try to limit the effects cats have on local wildlife and each other, when let outside to wander as they please.

Ah, ok. I was under the impression that cats were still instinctively outdoor creatures.

Lomax, I'm not sure what you mean by "populations tends to balance out the same either way" - indigenous small animal populations everywhere suffer and shrink when domesticated cats are introduced to their environment. Just do a little searching about the effect of cats on wildlife in Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands if you need convincing.

This is why I should lay off the caffeine. I was thinking that a shrink in prey population causes a shrink in predator population, which in turn causes a boost in prey population, and so on. It somehow passed me by that the cat population wouldn't shrink because they're getting fed at home. My bad.

[Paralith]

Even in cases of predator prey balance, that really only applies to species that have had time to adapt to each other. Small animals on islands have never had to deal with animals like cats - suddenly throwing cats in amongst them could cause their populations to crash long before any amount of balancing has a chance to take place.

[Sisyphus]

The local Humane Society shelters have traps that can be borrowed to catch feral cats. Here's some more info... http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/fer ... _FAQs.html

Also, there have been a few other researchers at the National Zoo who have caused the deaths of some zoo animals through incompetence, including zebras and red pandas.