[bcbirdclub] Fw: Impact of Feral Cat Predation on Birds

From: "Roger Mayhorn" <rmayhorn@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "BCBC Listserve" <bcbirdclub@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2010 19:31:01 -0500
Hi All,
I recently received this interesting report about feral cats.

Roger Mayhorn 
  (Washington, D.C., December 1, 2010) 


  A new, peer-reviewed  report titled, Feral Cats and Their Management from the 
University of Nebraska�Lincoln, has put the annual economic loss from feral cat 
predation on birds in the United States at $17 billion. The report analyzes 
existing research on management of the burgeoning feral cat population � over 
60 million and counting -- in the United States, including the controversial 
practice of Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR).



  �This report is a must read for any community or government official thinking 
about what to do about feral cats. It encapsulates the extensive research on 
this subject and draws conclusions based on that data.  Not surprisingly, the 
report validates everything American Bird Conservancy has been saying about the 
feral cat issue for many years, namely TNR doesn�t work in controlling feral 
cat populations,� said Darin Schroeder, Vice President for Conservation 
Advocacy for American Bird Conservancy, the nation�s leading bird conservation 
organization.



  �Communities seeking a solution to their feral cat problems need to consider 
the science on the issue and the well being of animals impacted by feral cats 
as well as the cats themselves.  These other animals � birds especially � don�t 
deserve to die at the hands of a predator introduced into their environment by 
irresponsible pet owners. A humane decision-making process on this issue must 
also recognize that feral cats live short, miserable lives because of disease, 
other predators, severe weather and traffic hazards.  Thus their life 
expectancy is about one third as long as owned cats,� Schroeder added.



  A key finding of the report was the statement by the authors that they do not 
recommend the TNR method to eliminate colonies of feral cats.  In their 
extensive research, they were unable to find a single real-world example of TNR 
succeeding in eliminating a feral cat colony.



  Some of the many findings of the report include:

  �        Feral cats are invasive and pose a threat to native fauna and public 
health.

  �        Three separate studies showed that most feral cats (62 to 80 
percent) carry the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis � a condition of 
special concern to pregnant women.

  �        Cats are responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species of 
birds.

  �        Feral cats kill an estimated 480 million birds in the U.S. each year 
(the study did not address the question of bird predation by owned cats.  
Studies suggest that there are 80 million owned cats in the U.S. and that 43 
percent have access to the outdoors.  Total cat predation on birds is likely 
around one billion birds per year, though some analyses suggest much higher 
figures.)

  �        Feeding feral cats encourages them to congregate which encourages 
the chances of diseases being transmitted.

  �        The supplemental feeding of feral cats should be prohibited.

  �        Cats kill far more native wildlife species than nuisance (invasive) 
species.

  �        Cats will kill wildlife no matter how well they are fed.

  �        One reference to TNR success claimed that one particular feral cat 
colony numbered 920 cats before TNR, and then 678 after.  However, when 
migrations and births were factored in, the colony had actually increased in 
size -- to 983 cats.

  �        The life expectancy of a feral cat is 3-5 years as opposed to 15 
years for owned cats.
  The report can be viewed by going to the following website and then scrolling 
to report EC1781: 
http://elkhorn.unl.edu/epublic/pages/index.jsp?what=subjectAreasD&subjectAreasId=38




  American Bird Conservancy (www.abcbirds.org<http://www.abcbirds.org>) 
conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas by 
safeguarding the rarest species, conserving and restoring habitats, and 
reducing threats while building capacity of the bird conservation movement. ABC 
is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership organization that is consistently 
awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.
[bcbirdclub] Fw: Impact of Feral Cat Predation on Birds

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