Cats are the number one threat to wildlife

steingar

steingar

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steingar
A study carried out by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service has increased dramatically the estimated damage felines have on native wildlife. While it has been known that cats decimate wildlife when introduced by humans (and are responsible for at least 33 extinction events) the new study suggests that cats kill four times as many birds as previously thought, and are the number one threat to North American wildlife. Un-owned cats (feral, stray, and farm cats) are the worst offenders. Story on the BBC.
 
It's nice to know that humans are not the number one threat to wildlife, but I suspect that it was like some of the drinking school polls I have read when I was in college, the professionals were excluded from the rank amateurs and thus not included in the polls.
 
A year ago we had 10-12 feral cats in the neighborhood, and no mice/rats.

now we have 2 Coyotes, no cats, no mice, 2 dogs missing and garbage cans tipped over on collection day.
 
Tom-D said:
A year ago we had 10-12 feral cats in the neighborhood, and no mice/rats.

now we have 2 Coyotes, no cats, no mice, 2 dogs missing and garbage cans tipped over on collection day.
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Crap I forgot to put the trash out today! :mad2:
 
Tom-D said:
A year ago we had 10-12 feral cats in the neighborhood, and no mice/rats.

now we have 2 Coyotes, no cats, no mice, 2 dogs missing and garbage cans tipped over on collection day.
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As much as I don't care for cats, I would eliminate the coyotes and wait a few weeks for some new cats to show up and keep the mice at bay. :D
 
our neighborhood has a lot of cats that roam too. some of them are strays i suppose but some of them are owned by someone but just live outside. either way i've never seen a mouse anywhere and as long as I can keep Leah from feeding them i don't care.
 
These figures don't surprise me. Around my neighborhood we have several well-fed domesticated cats that seemingly hunt birds for sport, not hunger.
 
THere was a report last week that New Zealand is considering banning cats and trying to eliminate them from the island(s).
 
I've heard this too, certain areas in NC have had the songbird population reduced by 70-80 percent in the last 10 years from feral cats. They were going to allow them to be hunted to help the bird population, but I think PETA put a stop to that.
 
steingar said:
A study carried out by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service has increased dramatically the estimated damage felines have on native wildlife. While it has been known that cats decimate wildlife when introduced by humans (and are responsible for at least 33 extinction events) the new study suggests that cats kill four times as many birds as previously thought, and are the number one threat to North American wildlife. Un-owned cats (feral, stray, and farm cats) are the worst offenders. Story on the BBC.
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Sorry, but this story is pure
BS.gif


Same people did a story a while back on how cats supposedly had parasites that made the owners go crazy.
 
N747JB said:
As much as I don't care for cats, I would eliminate the coyotes and wait a few weeks for some new cats to show up and keep the mice at bay. :D
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Coyotes eat more mice than cats, and rarely if ever bother garbage cans.
 
dell30rb said:
I've heard this too, certain areas in NC have had the songbird population reduced by 70-80 percent in the last 10 years from feral cats. They were going to allow them to be hunted to help the bird population, but I think PETA put a stop to that.
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Sparrows and starlings (non indigenous to North America) are responsible for more of the decline than cats for song birds. Try putting out a dozen blue bird boxes and maintaining them sparrow free. :mad2:

Sparrows throw the baby blue birds out of the box. Starlings take over nesting cavities of other native birds.

While not a song bird, the Blue Jay & Crow populations have been decimated by the West Nile virus.
 
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steingar said:
A study carried out by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service has increased dramatically the estimated damage felines have on native wildlife. While it has been known that cats decimate wildlife when introduced by humans (and are responsible for at least 33 extinction events) the new study suggests that cats kill four times as many birds as previously thought, and are the number one threat to North American wildlife. Un-owned cats (feral, stray, and farm cats) are the worst offenders. Story on the BBC.
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More Left-wing Liberal propaganda to downplay the number of bird kills by Obama's Windmills!

huh?

Oh. Sorry. Thought this was the Spin Zone.

Never mind.

-Rich :D
 
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N747JB said:
As much as I don't care for cats, I would eliminate the coyotes and wait a few weeks for some new cats to show up and keep the mice at bay. :D
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Spoken like a true city boy.

Similarly, I hate it when city folk move out to the country and then b!tch about the wildlife. If you don't want to experience nature then stay in the friggin' metropolis!

RotorAndWing said:
Same people did a story a while back on how cats supposedly had parasites that made the owners go crazy.
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That's true! :). But, personally, I think it's a chicken or egg question, I side with crazy people liking cats...not cats making people crazy.
 
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timwinters said:
Spoken like a true city boy.

Similarly, I hate it when city folk move out to the country and then b!tch about the wildlife. If you don't want to experience nature then stay in the friggin' metropolis!
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Then what would we do on our weekends? :)

timwinters said:
That's true! :). But, personally, I think it's a chicken or egg question, I side with crazy people liking cats...not cats making people crazy.
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True
 
wsuffa said:
THere was a report last week that New Zealand is considering banning cats and trying to eliminate them from the island(s).
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I think they are only considering an "Assault Cat" ban. They also want to limit kitty claws to 10 or less. Older cats will be grandfathered in with a national registry.

Please, it's the right thing to do. Do it for the little birdies.

:mad2:
 
timwinters said:
Spoken like a true city boy.

Similarly, I hate it when city folk move out to the country and then b!tch about the wildlife. If you don't want to experience nature then stay in the friggin' metropolis!



That's true! :). But, personally, I think it's a chicken or egg question, I side with crazy people liking cats...not cats making people crazy.
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This city boy was raised on a farm, 200 acres and usually between 50-100 head of cattle. :D I don't ***** about wildlife, I have deer in my front yard at least 3 or 4 nights per week. I don't like coyotes, they kill small domestic animals, like my wife's dog. :nono: Not to mention the drive my dogs crazy at night.:mad2:
Crazy people do like cats. Not all cat people are crazy, but most crazy people have cats. :D
 
23 posts and no one stated the obvious. Get all those feral cats and bring them to your local airport and surrounding environs and wallah NO MORE BIRD STRIKES.
 
steingar said:
Best thing to get rid of birds at the airport is a border collie.
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We had one at my local airport. They got rid of it, gave it to my trainer. My border collie, on the other hand, is probably more afraid of the birds than they are of her. But then again she does have an obsession with yellow tennis balls, and could care less if there is a bird around. If you never have owned a border collie you truly do not know what you are missing. This is my second. My first was adopted from the ASPCA in 1982 for 5 dollars. It took me five years, three vets, and a dog calendar to realize what I had. They are truly the best dog around, bar none.
 
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