Reform at the long troubled pound in Escambia Co Florida is getting some support from county commissioners. Specifically, the commissioners had planned to discuss the implementation of a TNR program for the community’s feral cats at its July 24 public meeting. But on July 23, the US Fish and Wildlife Service sent a nastygram to the commissioners, threatening them with jail if they moved forward with TNR.
Instead, the US Fish and Wildlife Service encouraged the county to continue trapping and killing its community’s cats. Because that’s what the US Fish and Wildlife Service does: kill animals. Last year, the agency killed 4 million animals, in addition to mailing out threatening letters I guess.
The Escambia Co TNR ordinance was tabled until the August 14 meeting so that the county attorney could advise commissioners on what to expect in prison their legal options.
Commissioner Grover Robinson seems like he gets it:
“Clearly what we’ve got isn’t working,” the commissioner said. “We’re killing 5,000 cats a year, and it hasn’t made a dent.” He added that whatever concerns conservationists and public health officials had likely would apply regardless of whether the county moved forward with TNR.
“The whole reason we’re considering this is because we believe it will lead to fewer cats in the long term,” Robinson said.
No more calls, I think we have a winner.
If you live in Escambia Co and would like to voice your support for TNR, the commissioners meeting is at 9am on August 14:
Ernie Lee Magaha Governmental Complex, 221 S. Palafox Place
(Thanks Clarice for the link.)
USF&W has become a monster organization with extremely little oversight and a giddy “kill them all and let God sort them out” approach to “conservation”.
Hopefully, the “killing isn’t working, let’s try something else” approach will win out here.
I would look into filing a lawsuit against USF&W, a federal agency, for official oppression, which is what, I believe, threatening commissioners with jail – without benefit of a trial, mind you – should they adopt a certain LEGAL policy. The last time I checked, we still live in America!!!
When does a government agency every actually listen to the people? There are so many that are doing whatever and whenever they please. USF& W is bad….so is BLM. They are rounding up and wiping out our wild horses and lawsuits are filed, they go under cover and do what they want anyway. This WAS America. I don’t know what this America is anymore.
Greed and politics win out every time over empathy and compassion. How sad!
Clearly, 5000 of God’s creatures are losing their lives in terror….when I think of my 5 spoiled ones…even the 2 outside…it makes me ill….research has shown TNR works miracles if implemented in a consistent manner….there is also research to support sterilzing without neutering….call in some experts and stand up to the bullies on this one…
I refer to America as China Jr.
The USFW and BLM – and the National Park Service – have been like this for as long as I can remember … which is part of the problem. We’ve progressed; Federal policy has not.
If you can find a copy – it’s out of print – an excellent case study and examination of the underpinnings of some of the … philosophic, assumptions and fuzzy science underlying ‘exotics’ eradication programs, check out R. Lee Lyman’s White Goats, White Lies: The Abuse of Science in Olympic National Park.
Best Friends (found through Vox Felina) http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2014/07/30/community-cats-put-at-risk-by-overreaching-federal-employees/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=blog
has an action alert here:
http://www.capwiz.com/bestfriends/issues/alert/?alertid=63290496&type=ML
Thank you for the links!
U.S. federal government agencies:
USDA Department of Agriculture > APHIS > Wildlife Services (previously Wildlife Damage)
USDOI Department of Interior > USFWS, NPS, BLM, etc.
enter keywords in search box of the Feral Cat Blog! to see partnerships and actions of numerous agencies and nonprofits that oppose freeroam cats and Trap Neuter Return.