Bethesda, MD Becky Robinson, the president and founder of Alley Cat Allies, made the following statement about the Legge study on feral cats that appeared in the journal “Biological Conservation” in December 2016.
“This new research shows that the real number of feral cats is significantly less than a third of what the Australian government has been claiming. Despite this, the government plans to carry on with its mission to kill 2 million feral catseven as the research shows that there may barely be that many. We protest the Australian government’s expensive, futile, and cruel witch hunt aimed at killing cats.
“The Australian government has repeatedly indicated that they understand that human development is the primary cause of species loss, but rather than address those issues, they are allowing mining and development in sensitive areas and are spending a large majority of the endangered species budget on killing cats.
“We know from experience that killing cats does not work. Cats are attracted to resources like food and shelter. When those remain, cats who survive the killing move in and breed to capacity.
“Australians should question their government’s position on feral cats and demand a change in policy to focus on humane methods that will protect all of the country’s animals.”
Becky Robinson
President and Founder
Alley Cat Allies