Oh and thanks for the inspiration Waterrat, this ones for you.
Very good mate! I didn't know I was that influential.
Oh and thanks for the inspiration Waterrat, this ones for you.
My last world on this subject:
One can not reason with serial cat haters. They think they are conservationists because they hate cats. But like all extremists and radicals, they're not taken seriously by the rest of the community.
again it comes down to respecting each other and i guess it just doesnt go for everyone which is a shame and i guess im a lot different to a lot in here because no matter what i would NEVER condone cruelty to any animal under any circumstance regardless of the animal
I can not Speak for John, But this is exactly what i am pushing for and not just for the Devils.
I think there is quite a large percentage of people that could house a betong, possum or a bilby quite well. Maybe 10% of the population could hold a native of some sort.
Waterrat,
While I agree that many snake lovers seem to get some sort of strange pleasure out of cat death talk and it can be disturbing, I'm actually quite interested in what you actually think of cats free roaming the neighbourhood. Are you saying that it has no detrimental effect on natives? Or that their impact on wildlife is negligible within suburban areas? Or that too many people own cats for anything to be effectively done about it?
I think everyone so far has said that they have no issue at all with cats kept on the owner's premises. I would personally never euthanise someone's pet, I'd return it to them if I could and politely request that they keep it out of my garden. And I do actually mean politely, lol.
I don't have strong opinions on the subject but I have spoken with wildlife carers who have told me that domestic cats can cause severe damage to urban populations of natives. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise if this is not the case, I'd just like to hear the argument for it. Not stirring at all, genuinely interested.
Just make a nice bushy area cat free
Even a big back yard will do
After 2 years you will have so many birds lizards etc that you will shake your head in disbelief
If you have a pond it will be full of frogs etc
Waterrat,
While I agree that many snake lovers seem to get some sort of strange pleasure out of cat death talk and it can be disturbing, I'm actually quite interested in what you actually think of cats free roaming the neighbourhood. Are you saying that it has no detrimental effect on natives? Or that their impact on wildlife is negligible within suburban areas? Or that too many people own cats for anything to be effectively done about it?
I think everyone so far has said that they have no issue at all with cats kept on the owner's premises. I would personally never euthanise someone's pet, I'd return it to them if I could and politely request that they keep it out of my garden. And I do actually mean politely, lol.
I don't have strong opinions on the subject but I have spoken with wildlife carers who have told me that domestic cats can cause severe damage to urban populations of natives. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise if this is not the case, I'd just like to hear the argument for it. Not stirring at all, genuinely interested.
use whatever irresponsible people like to eat instead. = Beer or Red Wine
Fuscus, I don't deny that cats are hunters and do damage to urban wildlife. Lets leave ferals aside for now, that's different category again. Urbanization itself is the biggest killer of wildlife add the cats are picking up the crumbs. I am not suggesting that it's alright but I do acknowledge that pets, including cats are important in people's lives and have been for decades if not centuries. People without pets are strange people (that's only my opinion) and children deprived of intimate contact with animals grow up into strange adults. For decades, out wildlife managers have been telling us "look but don't touch" and we now have a generation of young people who never left the fur of a possum, wombat or the skin of a snake. We are not allowed to keep native wildlife as pets, so what's the alternative? Dogs and cats.
Cats have been in suburbs for yonks and they shape up the urban ecology the same way dingos or crocodiles do in the wild, they are the top predator in suburbs. Yet, we still have abundance of wildlife in our gardens and I doubt there are any real data that would suggest steady declines - temporary ones, perhaps but the same goes on in the bush. Of course it hurts to see a cat dragging dead honey-eater or a water dragon and us naturalists, we get upset.
There should be a uniform law across this country; no more that 2 cats per household, both desexed and microchipped. Compulsory confinement to indoors will NEVER work. Houses are not being built to include cat runs and many people simply can't afford it. Kids (and adults) and not always diligent when it comes to closing doors, so cats get out.
What makes me cranky is the mentality of cat haters who think if they kill a cat they have done some monumental act in support of conservation. That's an absolute crap, it's equal to killing one cane toad or shooting one pig. And before somebody says "but if all did ........", it's even more crap, no need for explanation I hope.
Cheers
M
I just don't think the fate of this species in the wild is so assured that we can yet say whether they will or won't survive. Especially since the Western populations of devils from what I have read have greater natural variance and thus better chance of developing a resistance to the disease.
Fuscus, I don't deny that cats are hunters and do damage to urban wildlife. Lets leave ferals aside for now, that's different category again. Urbanization itself is the biggest killer of wildlife add the cats are picking up the crumbs. I am not suggesting that it's alright but I do acknowledge that pets, including cats are important in people's lives and have been for decades if not centuries. People without pets are strange people (that's only my opinion) and children deprived of intimate contact with animals grow up into strange adults. For decades, out wildlife managers have been telling us "look but don't touch" and we now have a generation of young people who never left the fur of a possum, wombat or the skin of a snake. We are not allowed to keep native wildlife as pets, so what's the alternative? Dogs and cats.
Cats have been in suburbs for yonks and they shape up the urban ecology the same way dingos or crocodiles do in the wild, they are the top predator in suburbs. Yet, we still have abundance of wildlife in our gardens and I doubt there are any real data that would suggest steady declines - temporary ones, perhaps but the same goes on in the bush. Of course it hurts to see a cat dragging dead honey-eater or a water dragon and us naturalists, we get upset.
There should be a uniform law across this country; no more that 2 cats per household, both desexed and microchipped. Compulsory confinement to indoors will NEVER work. Houses are not being built to include cat runs and many people simply can't afford it. Kids (and adults) and not always diligent when it comes to closing doors, so cats get out.
What makes me cranky is the mentality of cat haters who think if they kill a cat they have done some monumental act in support of conservation. That's an absolute crap, it's equal to killing one cane toad or shooting one pig. And before somebody says "but if all did ........", it's even more crap, no need for explanation I hope.
Cheers
M
I consider myself a responsible person but if set a trap with few bottles of Grange, I'll get caught.