“The cat is the most harmful invasive predator for biodiversity.”. This is a summary of a recently published letter by a group of Spanish scientists. Criticizing the shortcomings of the draft law on the protection, rights and welfare of animalsIt was approved by the government three months ago. they point to it government document contradicts head-to-head European laws and strategies for biodiversity conservation. Your opinion: “Medium-term goal of environmental laws, wild catsincluding cat colonies”.
The letter, published in the journal ‘Conservation Science and Practice’, contains the results of numerous studies on cats in recent years. Among others, the following stand out:
–“It has become a pet cat contributes to more than a quarter of contemporary extinctions of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwideand is considered the most harmful invasive predator.
–“Hunting by cats most important cause of death of small mammals and birdscrossing over animals, poisoning or in front of human hunters”.
Contrary to popular belief, well-bred colony cats still hunt wild prey, and due to their high density, feral cats often exert several times greater impact on prey populations than domestic predators.
–“Cat effects are particularly severe on the islands.and Spanish law will undoubtedly make it difficult to preserve the endemic fauna of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands”.
– “In addition to hunting, cats also act as vectors and reservoirs of numerous diseases. can endanger wildlife and harm public health.”
“Wild cat colonies can play a particularly important role in disease dynamics due to the high density of individuals and their intense interactions within colonies and with owned and feral cats.”
Criticism of the animal welfare bill
The letter begins by emphasizing how “moral circles” have historically expanded “to go beyond humans to include nonhumans”. As a result, Various legal instruments that have emerged around the world have given rights to animals..
Again, “the inclusion of animals in moral circles is subject to significant biases, favoring the charismatic, familiar, and beautiful vertebrates “of legal means to adopt such biases”may endanger the conservation of biodiversity”.
They specifically question the bill prepared by the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda to restructure many of the interactions between humans and animals. “Since it focuses on a few domesticated species, the draft contradicts various European and Spanish laws and basic management strategies for biodiversity conservation”, they point.
Special attention is given to the following in the draft: stray cat colonies; that is, high-density stray cat groups sustained by an artificial resource supply. “It aims to provide them with both nutritional and veterinary (responsible for local public administrations) protection and support, and to give their volunteer caregivers official status,” the scientists say.
Moreover, bill bans the elimination of catsit replaces the culling, which has managed to wipe out cat populations on many islands. fertility controla tool that is considered “more ethical”.
“However, fertility control allows for population decline only when applied at high rates and in spatial contiguity over long periods of time. very high costs and compensatory effects that must be managed simultaneously,” the researchers stress.
Adverse effects on public health
they think that “Too complicated and often unaffordable” management will cause fertility control to maintain and even increase “the already high number of feral cats in cities and rural areas.”thereby sustaining (short term) and then increasing (long term) devastating effects on biodiversity”.
“Although challenging, the medium-term goal of environmental laws should be the eradication of feral cats, including cat colonies.”, emphasize scientists. They think it’s “important” raising public awareness of the harmful effects of cats on biodiversity and public health through effective communication.
Scientists see “contradictory” proposals by the same Ministry responsible for achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda, including halting biodiversity loss, to “improve and sustain a strong driver of biodiversity loss”.
They also add that wildlife management can sometimes trigger “ethical challenges,” but that the well-being and fate of individuals of several favored animal species are given a higher priority than the conservation of species, populations, ecosystem functioning and global biodiversity. will promote “poor and homogeneous biota dominated by a handful of privileged animals”.
For all these reasons, legal instruments are indisputably “reduce the negative effects of free-roaming cats by minimizing their numbers as soon as possible and limiting outdoor access to owned cats as much as possible.”
It suffices to mention that there are more than 9,000 stray cats in Barcelona alone to give an idea of the magnitude of the problem. The letter was signed by researchers from Pablo de Olavide University, Doñana Biological Station-CSIC, Miguel Hernández University, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies-CSIC-UIB and Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology-CSIC.
Letter from Spanish researchers: https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/csp2.12706
Bill for the protection, rights and welfare of animals: https://www.mdsocialesa2030.gob.es/servicio-a-la-ciudadania/proyectos-normativos/documentos/AP_LEY_ANIMALES.pdf
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]