Australia to kill cats with Poisoned sausages

[Catherine]

Quote:Instead of devoting time and money, the authorities in Australia are seeking a "quick fix" with poisoned sausages. Money before morals seems to their motto.

This attitude seems to be true of all invasive species situations. We look for the quick solution no matter how morally repugnant it is. The slaughter of two million of any species is horrible. Their current plan is also dangerous. It will have long term negative consequences that could last for years.

The TNR, Trap, Neuter, Release program is not a quick fix, but it has proved successful as a long term solution.
They got serious about TNR in Toronto a number of years ago. Thousands of cats have been sterilized. That means thousands of kittens have not been born. I no longer see large colonies of cats behind the city owned apartment buildings.
I counted 40 cats in the parking lot behind one building. Now there are no strays. The colony was cared for until it died out.

It isn't easy, but TNR is more effect than a cull. When you cull cats, they just produce more cats to make up for losses.
With TNR the sterilized cats are still there taking up resources, but they are unable to produce more cats.

TNR would be a big undertaking for Australia, but it would be an effective solution. It would take a few years to really feel the results, but there would be steady improvement. Maybe they could call for teams for various animal groups to help with the project. Winter would be a good time to start. If a significant number of cats were sterilized this winter there would be a drop in the number of kittens born next summer.

The government could pay people to help with the problem. They could pay teams of vets and their staff to do the actual sterilizations. Maybe veterinary students could get involved. Many of them could do a simple sterilization.
I think TNR teams from other countries would help if they did a massive TNR campaign.

All that is needed is the will to choose a humane solution. This particular humane solution is also the most effective.