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Posted by Rock Jetty on 22:01:59 09/01/06
In Reply to: Re: cats and warblers and parks, oh my! posted by Georgiana
There have been feral cats in AD Barnes for several years now. I didn't really notice how many there were until I started birding the park about four years ago. I'm sure the veteran birders in this board can say if they've been there longer. All I know is that it is a big problem.
I've seen a cat snatch a Northern Parula right in my binocular field of vision. I've seen people feed them and asked them nicely to stop, followed by an explanation on why they shouldn't. I've mentioned this to several people, including county employees who seem to have their hands tied. I sometimes feel like taking matters into my own hands and...no worries, I won't.
The University of Wisconsin estimates that about 80 MILLION birds are killed each year in Wisconsin and Minnesota alone! Numbers peak during migration. Yes, folks, I'm not making this up. There are roughly 3 million feral cats in those two states. Can you imagine what the annual nationwide toll is? As if towers weren't enough for bird kills.
We all enjoy looking at the birds, but unless we educate people about what's really going one...well, let me just say, cats aren't in any danger of extinction.
Good birding,
RJ
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