A council in New Zealands Southland region has sparked fury and indignation after proposing a ban on all cats, effectively eradicating feline populations within a generation.
“Were not cat haters” John Collins, of the Omaui Landcare Trust told Newshub, adding, “…wed like to see responsible pet ownership and this really isnt the place for cats.”
The Omaui villages so-called 'pest plan,' would create a feline registry in which all domestic cats are neutered, microchipped and registered. Submissions opposing the measure close at the end of October.
The regional council proposed the ban as a measure to protect indigenous wildlife. “Native wildlife is disappearing rapidly around the country and places like this where people still live and enjoy and hear the birdsong are probably few and far between,” Collins said.
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Nico Jarvis, Omaui resident and owner of three cats, likened the proposal to living under the yoke of a “police state” in an interview with the Otago Daily Times.
“Its not even regulating peoples ability to have a cat. Its saying you cant have a cat,” Jarvis said, adding that a petition to counter the proposal is already in the pipeline and boasts the support of many people in the community.
Local animal rights activist organization Paw Justice also railed against the proposal, posting on Facebook: “Come on people, when did our country become a dictatorship?”
On a macro level, the proposed conservationist cat cull forms part of New Zealand's 2016 plan to become predator-free by 2050. The plan involves the local extinction of stoats, the purging of possums and the eradication of rat populations. The government estimates the cost of invasive predators to the economy at NZ$3.3bn (US$2.29bn).
Domesticated cats were first introduced to the island nation by European immigrants in the 1800s. At present, there are an estimated 1.4 million cats to the countrys 4.9 million inhabitants, representing a ratio of roughly 2:7.
A total of six species of indigenous bird have gone extinct since the introduction of domesticated, but still predatory, cats, including the Lyall's wren. Several of New Zealand's outlying islands have banned and eradicated cat populations since the 1920s.
“I think gradually we'll see people recognize that having wildlife thrive will mean having cats inside – and when your cat dies, then potentially not replacing it,” New Zealand's Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said earlier this month as cited by Deutsche Welle.
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