Posted on 08/05/2007 9:26:04 AM PDT by nuconvert
N.J. Town Targets Cats in Effort to Protect Endangered Birds
August 04, 2007
CAPE MAY, N.J. —
Cats are as much a part of this seaside town's genteel culture as rainbow-colored Victorian bed-and-breakfasts, trolley tours and cocktails on the porch at sunset.
They're also suspect No. 1 in many deaths of the endangered piping plover, a fist-sized, white-and-brown fuzzball of a bird that has closed beaches and stopped development projects in the interest of protecting their habitat.
With only 115 pairs of piping plovers left in the state, the federal government may intervene on the side of the birds, which has set both fur and feather flying here. Cat lovers fear the roaming felines will be euthanized, while bird lovers are wary of a rare species being wiped out.
"This is a very emotional issue; this really is a cat town," said resident Pat Peckham. "I think they should leave the cats where they are. I'm a firm believer in letting nature take its course."
A cat's nature and its appetite for critters are just what have bird enthusiasts concerned.
Cape May is one of the prime bird-watching spots in all of North America; the World Series of Birding is held here each year. And with bird watching and related expenditures bringing in nearly $2 billion a year to New Jersey's economy, the feathers may win this fight.
The plovers, which breed on East Coast beaches during warm weather, build nest in sandy, open stretches of beach, making them and their chicks easy prey for a variety of predators, including foxes, gulls, raccoons and cats.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
LOL the animals not humans!
Yeah, we had occasional problems with people’s dogs when we lived in a rural area. There are alot of people out there who think that the world revolves around them.
susie
One of my goldens is hell on lizards! But, she’s never caught a bird so far as I know.
susie
OK, really, I guess one has to choose their favorite of the two. I have to choose the cat over the bird, because I've yet to have a cat fly over my car and release droppings on it. Birds do this all the time.
We should care for those critters among us who are most vulnerable. IMO the ferals should be eliminated permanently. These precious shore birds have enough natural predators as it is.
“And with bird watching and related expenditures bringing in nearly $2 billion a year to New Jersey’s economy, the feathers may win this fight.”
Translation: “We really don’t give a rats a$$ about the stupid bird - we just don’t want to see any of that lovely money leave our state”
The golden I grew up with apparently had some kind of lizard-catching quota. She must have gotten a bonus if she made us holler by putting them in our shoes.
susie
The first time it happened was to my brother. He yelled so loud, the neighbors woke up. Come to find out, the dog had gifted him with half of the lizard - the half with the head still on.
You wouldn’t have thought growing up in suburban Houston would have taught us to do a daily shoe-check.
Nutty neighbors or cats?
Oh, I don’t know, I check my shoes (except my flip flops!) always, but not because the dogs leave stuff in them.
:)
susie
Bookmarked for latter reading. =^..^=
You shot the nutty neighbor? That’a a little rough, even for Texas.
I fondly remember catching lizards in Houston. I would play with them until the tail came off and that scared me and I would let them go. (I was just a kid)
OK. I can see both sides of this issue. What if the lovely little plover is eradicated, extincted by all the roaming kitty cats and then we discover it had the cure for cancer in it’s feathers, which now are no more? I mean ... could happen. Aside from the fact that it is an adorable, lovely little bird (and maybe it keeps the hermit crab population under control?) who knows? So, if it’s numbers are so low that it’s a concern, don’t we have conservation areas in which we could ship many couples of birdies and let them do what comes natural until the numbers are again up there? Feral cats yes are not a good thing. I am NOT in favor of allowing kitties to roam at will, even though here it IS the law that they be allowed to, (as many of you have said, there are just too many dangers). But ferals IMO should be trapped, fixed and released back into their own territory and eventually they will die out. If in the process of TNR they are found to be ill with contagious disease, then yes it is justified to euthanize. Just IMHO.
These are omnivores like most Larus gulls, and they will scavenge as well as seeking suitable small prey. They frequently rob other seabirds of their catch. It can swallow a puffin or a small wild duck whole. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Black-backed_Gull
These basically weren't seen in the north New Jersey shore until they opened Arthur Kills landfill.
I can’t even read the article. The title alone shows how much ignorance there is about it. Now I understand why Democrats keep winning elections...total ignorance.
Curry & Kerlinger has compiled the following information from environmentalorganizations and government agencies.
Glass Windows
Bird Deaths a year: 100 to 900+ million
Dr. Daniel Klem of Muhlenberg College has done studies over a period of 20 years, looking at bird collisions with windows. His conclusion: glass kills more birds than any other human related factor.
Automobiles / Trucks
Bird Deaths a year: 50 to 100 Million
Scientists estimate the number of birds killed by cars and trucks on the nation's highways to be 50 to 100 million a year. Those statistics were cited in reports published by the National Institute for Urban Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Electric Transmission Line Collisions
Bird Deaths a year: up to 174 million
Estimates made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service demonstrate millions of birds die each year as a result of colliding with transmission lines.
Agriculture
Bird Deaths a year: 67 million
Pesticides likely poison an estimated 67 million birds per year according to the Smithsonian Institution. Cutting hay may kill up to a million more birds a year.
Land Development
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
Suburban sprawl is a silent but deadly killer. The National Audubon Society says loss of bird habitat is the greatest threat to bird populations.
Communication Towers
Bird Deaths a year: 4 to 10 million
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that bird collisions with tall, lighted communications towers, and their guy wires result in 4 to 10 million bird deaths a year.
Stock Tank Drowning
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and other conservationists believe that large numbers of birds inadvertently drown in livestock water tanks.
Oil and Gas Extraction
Bird Deaths a year: 1 to 2 million
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that up to 2 million birds died landing in oil pits to bathe and drink in 1997. Fish and Wildlife says netting has improved that situation somewhat. There are no overall estimates for the number of birds affected by oil and gas spills, and oil and gas extractions (and transport.)
Logging and Strip Mining
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
Logging and strip mining destroy bird habitat. According to the National Audubon Society, habitat destruction is the leading cause of bird population declines.
Commercial Fishing
Bird Deaths a year: unknown
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ornithological Council report that 40 thousand seabirds per year are killed in the Gulf of Alaska by long line fishing operations. These same sources say long lining and gill netting kill large numbers of birds in other parts of the country as well.
Electrocutions
Raptor Deaths a year: more than 1,000
Experts estimate that more than one thousand hawks, eagles, falcons and owls are electrocuted on transmission lines and poles each year.
Hunting
Bird Deaths a year: 100 + million
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than 100 million ducks, geese, swans, doves, shorebirds, rails, cranes, among others are harvested legally each year.
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