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Well, this law was passed in UTAH... and if I'm not mistaken, a good portion of their population lives in urban & suburban settings. I imagine they have animal control in places like Salt Lake City, so it would be unnecessary to shoot a stray if you lived there - but like I said earlier, things are obviously different in the country vs city. However this is a statewide ordinance, so you can't even claim it only applies to those in rural areas.
It can't apply to urban/city areas because most urban/city areas forbid the use of firearms.
Animal control trapped maybe 10, it's a big problem in some areas, people feel sorry for these cats but there not doing their neighbors any favors by feeding them unless they catch them get them fixed and find them a home, just feeding them just makes more of them until it's out of control.
Animal control just puts most of them down anyway.
It's absolutely a big problem when some simply feeds ferals without taking the added step of getting them spayed/neutered. However, animal control has certainly not lived up to their mandate if they only trapped ten or so ...it's obviously an ongoing problem that needs a steady and continued response.
Most feral cats are euthanized because they haven't been socialized and do not respond well to humans. It's really too bad. Trap-neuter-release is a compromise solution, not perfect but helps.
Are you doubting the natural cycle of life, Oz? Do you not think cats (and dogs) serve a purpose in controlling other animal populations? Btw, those first two pictures are of parrots, and wild parrots are rarely seen in the US - aside from the "wild parrots of Telegraph Hill" here in SF, which were most likely the result of released pets.
I'm not denying the cat populations are out of control, but giving citizens free reign to "shoot at will" has some dangerous implications... again, I am MOST worried about people using this as an excuse to shoot loose/stray pets. Don't like your neighbor's annoying barking dog? Shoot it! Don't like cats? Shoot any who cross your path, regardless of whether they have a collar or not! Why not find a more humane way to control the population, like the program I mentioned earlier in the thread?
We try to use humane methods here in the Bay Area, and our feral cat population is comparatively small - and feral dogs are pretty much nonexistent. Even in the rural areas around us, you rarely (if ever) see wild packs of dogs or HUGE feral cat colonies. The problems lie mostly with irresponsible owners refusing to spay & neuter, letting their pets roam freely, and releasing animals they don't want anymore... shooting them will do nothing, as long as this HUMAN behavior continues.
This debate reminds me a bit of the Burmese Python issue in Florida/LA... people think we need to kill all the Burmese Pythons roaming down there, but they fail to consider "where did they come from, and why?" Burmese Pythons aren't native to the US, so clearly they were imported/purchased and later released into the wild. Rather than killing all of them, we need to educate the public on these beautiful creatures - and how big they can grow. Nobody should be allowed to purchase them without proper knowledge, secured LARGE enclosures, and so on. Don't punish the animals, punish the irresponsible buyers who think it's okay to release a snake when it gets too big.
Are you doubting the natural cycle of life, Oz? Do you not think cats (and dogs) serve a purpose in controlling other animal populations? Btw, those first two pictures are of parrots, and wild parrots are rarely seen in the US - aside from the "wild parrots of Telegraph Hill" here in SF, which were most likely the result of released pets.
I'm not denying the cat populations are out of control, but giving citizens free reign to "shoot at will" has some dangerous implications... again, I am MOST worried about people using this as an excuse to shoot loose/stray pets. Don't like your neighbor's annoying barking dog? Shoot it! Don't like cats? Shoot any who cross your path, regardless of whether they have a collar or not! Why not find a more humane way to control the population, like the program I mentioned earlier in the thread?
We try to use humane methods here in the Bay Area, and our feral cat population is comparatively small - and feral dogs are pretty much nonexistent. Even in the rural areas around us, you rarely (if ever) see wild packs of dogs or HUGE feral cat colonies. The problems lie mostly with irresponsible owners refusing to spay & neuter, letting their pets roam freely, and releasing animals they don't want anymore... shooting them will do nothing, as long as this HUMAN behavior continues.
Feral cats are not native to anywhere,in Australia(where the pics are from you might note) they have decimated native fauna.
Feral cats here in the USA kill millions of songbirds every year.
What you see as a cuddly little moggy is a very well developed killer.
As to shooting a stray dog on my property,at THIS place and point in time,no.
When we relocate and have livestock,yes.
Strangely enough,people in rural areas know this,it seems to be a problem for city dwellers to grasp.
This debate reminds me a bit of the Burmese Python issue in Florida/LA... people think we need to kill all the Burmese Pythons roaming down there, but they fail to consider "where did they come from, and why?" Burmese Pythons aren't native to the US, so clearly they were imported/purchased and later released into the wild. Rather than killing all of them, we need to educate the public on these beautiful creatures - and how big they can grow. Nobody should be allowed to purchase them without proper knowledge, secured LARGE enclosures, and so on. Don't punish the animals, punish the irresponsible buyers who think it's okay to release a snake when it gets too big.
Of course they should be eradicated....
I imagine some people find Africanised bees beautiful,however you probably don't REALLY want them nearby....
This debate reminds me a bit of the Burmese Python issue in Florida/LA... people think we need to kill all the Burmese Pythons roaming down there, but they fail to consider "where did they come from, and why?" Burmese Pythons aren't native to the US, so clearly they were imported/purchased and later released into the wild. Rather than killing all of them, we need to educate the public on these beautiful creatures - and how big they can grow. Nobody should be allowed to purchase them without proper knowledge, secured LARGE enclosures, and so on. Don't punish the animals, punish the irresponsible buyers who think it's okay to release a snake when it gets too big.
Do you have any idea of the scope of the python problem here?
I do, it aint pretty.
Feral cats are not native to anywhere,in Australia(where the pics are from you might note) they have decimated native fauna.
Feral cats here in the USA kill millions of songbirds every year.
Which is why we need to control the population... and once again, I'll say the best way is through trap/neuter/release programs, educating the public, enforcing (or creating) spay/neuter laws, and imposing penalties on irresponsible owners.
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Strangely enough,people in rural areas know this,it seems to be a problem for city dwellers to grasp.
While I said I have mostly lived in urban areas, I have also lived in rural areas... and even there, I didn't notice wild packs of dogs/cats or people shooting them at will. Of course you have a right to shoot threatening animals, but I don't think that's the end-all answer to this problem. We had wild bears, coyotes, foxes, etc, where I used to live, and they did cause problems from time to time - but we didn't have free reign to shoot them, and they were handled by humane trapping or relocation (to the woods). Well, except for the coyotes, who were mostly just tolerated as "residents" of the town.
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