A new law prohibits cats from wandering the streets of Australian towns, and even provides for the killing of strays
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himA new law prohibits cats from roaming the streets of Australian towns, and even provides for the killing of strays in the name of wildlife protection
In Freemantle, Western Australia, felines are prohibited from accessing all areas owned by the municipality - such as parks, roads, docks and scrubland. The motivation for this? According to the members of the city council, the presence of stray cats or in any case free to circulate without a leash would represent a threat to the wildlife in the area; moreover, with this provision, the felines are prevented from getting hit by cars or from hurting themselves in fighting with their fellow creatures.
A provision to protect the felines themselves, first of all, and then also the wild animals of the area, which live in the woods on the edge of the city: domestic cats, if kept safe at home, live much longer and much healthier ; Additionally, urban cats kill 30 times more wildlife than adult cats out in the bush. But is it really true that cats represent a threat to wildlife and the ecosystem of the woods? In fact, a study recently conducted in Australia has dismantled this myth, showing that there are other real risk factors for birds and wild animals.
The study analyzed the impact of pets - cats and dogs - on local urban fauna using the quantitative approach of citizen science, i.e. through questionnaires made to the owners of the animals themselves: they were asked to report and identify any victims. brought home to their pets. The results of the study showed that, for both dogs and cats, most of the prey was mammals - mostly mice, rats and rabbits (all species considered harmful in Australia and certainly not included in animal protection programs). What surprised the researchers and, consequently, dispelled the myth of the cat as a threat to the ecosystem, was the demonstration that dogs are much more prone than cats to prey on wild and rare species (62% vs.47%): lizards, skinks, but also possums and kangaroos are among the favorite victims.
These results, therefore, demonstrate the presence of felines in cities and suburban wooded areas it does not pose a threat to wild species - certainly, no more than dogs. Despite these evidences, unfortunately, in many areas of the country the limitations to the walking of domestic cats are even combined with campaigns to kill stray cats - while such ferocious provisions do not exist for dogs. Furthermore, the invaluable help provided by cats in limiting the growth of pest populations, such as rats, is ignored.
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Fonti: ABC News / Frontiers Veterinary Science
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