Biologists want island cats killed San Nicolas wildlife imperiled

Ventura County Star ^

[NFOShekky]

Biologists want island cats killed San Nicolas wildlife imperiled By Scott Hadly Friday, June 6, 2008

Federal wildlife biologists are proposing to kill all wild cats now living on Navy-owned San Nicolas Island to protect endangered species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to use padded leg traps and hunters to eradicate what are believed to be 100 to 200 feral cats. Dogs also would be used to flush out some of the harder-to-catch cats, according to the plan. The wild cats would be shot or given a lethal injection on the spot.

"This is the most humane and feasible alternative we've found," said Jane Hendron, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Carlsbad.

The wild cats descended from domestic cats that escaped from their owners or were brought to hunt mice decades ago. There are records of fairly significant feral cat populations that go back to the 1950s.

Wild cats have taken a large toll on the seabirds and other endangered species on the island. Worldwide, feral cats are responsible for the extinction of 33 species of seabirds, according to federal biologists.

"On San Nicolas Island, feral cats are known to kill seabirds, including Brandt's Cormorants and western gulls; other birds, including the federally threatened western snowy plover; the federally threatened island night lizard; and the endemic deer mouse," according to an environmental assessment prepared for the eradication plan.

Because the wild cats are hunters, they compete for scarce food with the native island fox, also a threatened species.

On islands off Mexico, Australia and South Africa, the eradication of feral cats has had immediate results in the survivability of seabirds, according to the document.

But the plan — part of a recently released environmental assessment of a restoration plan for endangered and protected native species on the island — has angered some animal rights groups.

"This is not humane," said Nancy Peterson, who heads the feral cat program for the U.S. Humane Society. "I would not say shooting cats or leaving them in leg-hold traps for up to 14 hours is humane. This is a proposal by wildlife biologists who are treating the cats as wildlife. I think it was really inexcusable that no animal welfare groups or cat groups were consulted for the plan."

Peterson doesn't differentiate these animals from house cats, unlike biologists with the wildlife service and the Navy, who see them as wild animals.

"These are like the domestic pussycats we have at home, but they're living a wild lifestyle," she said.

The plan comes just a few years after the controversial eradication of rats and pigs on Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands.

Animal rights groups lobbied hard against those efforts but failed to stop the poisoning of rats on Anacapa and hunting of pigs on Santa Cruz Island. The National Park Service, which spearheaded those efforts, points to the campaign as a success and says it helped in the recovery of several near-extinct native species.

San Nicolas, part of the Channel Islands, sits about 60 miles offshore. The Navy uses the 14,000-acre island in its sea test range and stations a contingent of personnel there. The remoteness of the island and current use by the Navy mean the habitat is largely unmolested by humans, said Grace Smith, a Navy biologist who lives there.

The wild cats, however, are an exception. Unlike feral cats in urban areas, they are not living off people's handouts and scraps found in trash cans.

"They're hunters," said Smith.

In addition, feral cats could not be captured and domesticated. It would be impractical to deal with them in some non-lethal way such as neutering them all or injecting them with a contraceptive, federal biologists say.

The public has until June 17 to comment by e-mailing fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov or sending mail to Jane Hendron, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6010 Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011. Copies of the environmental assessment are available at libraries in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Oxnard. For more details, go to http://www.montroserestoration.gov.

[NFOShekky]

Where to begin!?!?! First off, I like cats and could care less if they eat the damn seagulls, lizards, bugs, what-have-you! If they are truly bumping the local foxes out of their place in the food chain, then more power to ya kitty!

Second, anyone want to venture a guess as to what this environmental study cost us? What it will cost us to hire tracking dogs, hunters, trappers, and a bunch of eggheads to get rid of a bunch of feral cats?

If you are a cat person or if you just don't like seeing tax money flushed down the toilet - money that could, oh let me see, buy armored humvees or other gear that our troops need, fund veterans programs, or hey just pay off the deficit, then I suggest you send comments to the address given at the bottom of the article. Geez!

[beaversmom]

ping

[OldNavyVet]

The wild cats would be shot or given a lethal injection on the spot. "This is the most humane and feasible alternative we've found," said Jane Hendron, spokeswoman

Why not? I have it on good authority that lots of life has gone out with a bang.

[Arkansas Toothpick]

I like cats and we own one, in fact. But, I’d LOVE to go on a cat hunt! Sign me up.

[Slings and Arrows]

If one of those seagulls craps on my car it'll get a lot more endangered.

[skinkinthegrass]

that's a nice looking lizard.....

[BubbaBasher]

What it will cost us to hire tracking dogs, hunters, trappers, and a bunch of eggheads to get rid of a bunch of feral cats?

Nothing! I'd do it for free. It sounds like a lot of fun. Get some friends, a few cases of beer, the dogs and plenty of ammo. Beats shooting at paper targets.

[count-your-change]

Let hunters have a shooting contest and then everyone can attend a big cat barby. Ummmmm......cat on a spit!

[Vigilanteman]

Cats are smart. Generally smarter than the federal officials who dreamed up this plan. They are going to be very wary of humans and traps before this job gets 25% finished.

I'm with you-- even if this hare-brained plan is 100% successful, all it will accomplish is reducing the competition for local foxes.

This kind of stupidity was tried before on one of more of the Pacific Islands (may have been Wake) before World War II. The influx of Polynesian Rats was so bad that they had to bring the cats back.

Yes, cats do get some good wildlife (such as seagulls), but they also target destructive wildlife (such as rats) in a far more efficient manner than competing predators.

[Doomonyou]

Nothing! I'd do it for free. It sounds like a lot of fun. Get some friends, a few cases of beer, the dogs and plenty of ammo. Beats shooting at paper targets.

Ditto. The fun you could have with a .22

[Biggirl]

Thanks for this very important PING! Glad FR is up and running again. :) =^..^=

[batter]

Heeere kitty kitty kitty!

[GovernmentShrinker]

Second, anyone want to venture a guess as to what this environmental study cost us? What it will cost us to hire tracking dogs, hunters, trappers, and a bunch of eggheads to get rid of a bunch of feral cats?

A heck of lot more than it would cost to have a local cat rescue group trap them, adopt out the kittens, and have all the adults rabies vaccinated, and the adult females spayed, and all of the adults put back on the island. (Adult cats who have been successfully competing with foxes for food are past being domesticatable.) Within 2-3 years, there would be no more threat from cats to the native wildlife.

[SF Republican]

Ummm kitty fajitas

[CholeraJoe]

Recipe time!

Braised Cat

1 cat cut in serving-sized pieces dusted in flour with salt and pepper

• 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  
• 6 artichokes
  
• 2 1/4" thick slices of slab bacon, diced
  
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 carrot, diced
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 3 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
  
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
  
• 2-4 c. homemade chicken broth
  
• garni of 4 flat parsley stems, 6 leafy thyme branches, 1 bay leaf tied up with kitchen twine Salt and pepper
  
• 1/4 c chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
  

---

1. Snap the leaves off the artichokes until only the tender inner leaves remain. Snap off the stem. Trim the remaining green bits from the bottom of the artichoke, and cut off the inner leaves in a bunch at the point where they are very tender. Pare the tough green outer layer off the remaining stem, pairing the stem into a point. Now cut the artichoke bottom into quarters and remove the choke with a sharp knife from each quarter. Rinse to remove any traces of foin ("hay") and drop them into a bowl of water acidulated with the juice of half a lemon.
2. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large heavy casserole or Dutch oven. Dredge the cat pieces in seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Brown over medium heat, turning regularly, until golden on all sides. Remove cat pieces to a plate and dump any oil remaining in the pan. Add 1 T of the remaining oil and the bacon dice. (Omit bacon if you only have access to the thin-sliced vacuum packed supermarket variety.) Sauté until cooked but not "crisp". Add the remaining T of oil and the onion and carrot. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the artichoke quarters and the garlic, stir one minute, and add the tomatoes and the white wine. Turn up the heat and reduce until syrupy, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Lay the bouquet garni on top of the vegetables. Arrange the cat pieces on top, together with any juice accumulated in the plate.
3. Pour in enough broth to come halfway up the sides of the cat pieces. Cover and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer over very low heat about 1 hour or cook in the oven at 350 degrees for the same amount of time. The cat should be just tender and part readily from the bone. Don't overcook or it will become dry. Check the liquid level frequently and add more broth if necessary. Turn the cat pieces once.
4. When done, remove the cat pieces to a warm platter and arrange the vegetables, removed with a slotted spoon, around them. Cover and keep warm. Strain the remaining pan juices into a smaller saucepan and reduce over high heat, skimming frequently, until reduced by 1/3. Pour over the platter and serve immediately. Sprinkle with finely chopped flat-leaf parsley if you like.

[Snickering Hound]

I'm not a kitty, I'm an endangered froggy!

[LucyT]

[Slings and Arrows]

You’re welcome, and me too.

[onedoug]

What’s their history?

[Mogollon]

Import coyotes, they will take care of the cats.