Maui's Feral Cat Population Is So Massive It's Threatening A Bird Sanctuary

[XemaSab]

It sounds like a headline ripped straight from The Onion: “Survey: More than 1K cats near Maui bird sanctuary.”

But this is no Sylvester and Tweety Bird situation. The growing feral cat population on the Hawaiian island of Maui has wildlife biologists concerned as more and more of the cats crowd around the Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary -- a bird sanctuary where endangered species such as the Hawaiian duck, Hawaiian coot and Hawaiian stilt nest.

On Sunday, biologist John Boone presented results of the first study done on Maui to map and count how many cats they might be dealing with. Because around 1,100 feral cats live in Kanaha Beach Park, which is adjacent to the sanctuary, Boone said the area needs “serious management attention.”

In the past, it’s been estimated that anywhere between 20,000 to half a million cats roam the 727-square-mile island, a wide range that Inga Gibson, the Hawaii director for the Humane Society of the United States, said was a main reason for assigning the study. To organize a more precise mitigation plan, she told The Huffington Post, “We really needed to get an idea of the numbers.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/20/maui-feral-cats_n_6018760.html

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

1. Wow. Those potential numbers are amazing

Even at the very low end.

[KittyWampus]

2. My father helped out a program in Australia that was eliminating feral cats from a sanctuary

for small marsupials. Bettongs and Bandicoots if I remember the names properly.

In populated areas I'm all for spay and release but when it comes to places for other wildlife you have to accept cats can be overly intrusive and destructive.

[FLPanhandle]

3. This will get me a lot of hate but cats should be banned from some islands

New Zealand has a number of ground living birds that have been almost wiped out by cats, Hawaii and other sensitive island eco-systems are particularly vulnerable.

Even in the US, cats do a number on native bird populations.

Round them up and destroy them would be the environmentally correct solution, but people love their little kitties.

[kestrel91316]

4. They don't love them enough to take them into their homes,

feral or not, and care for them properly.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Humans are the most environmentally destructive species.

Maybe we should round them up and kill them.

[shenmue]

5. Spay and neuter

Trap, neuter, return.

[Doremus]

8. This is the way.

Trap, neuter, return.

[The2ndWheel]

6. I enjoy when our attempts at control go awry

A species is endangered, so what's the solution? Let's actively decrease the ability of another species to breed.

We like evolution, but we also don't like evolution, and sometimes try to stop it.

[Baclava]

7. So, keep trying, what eats cats?

Bigger cats?

[Arugula Latte]

10. You know what has a massive overpopulation on Kauai?

Chickens.

(Which are birds, BTW.)

They're EVERYWHERE.

[KamaAina]

12. I was just wondering about them the other day

if it might be possible to round up some of the less stringy ones, breed them, and voila! Kaua'i free-range chicken!

[KamaAina]

11. I am surprised my cat-loving friend on Maui didn't take me there

when I visited several years ago.

There were, however, a number of ferals living in abandoned school bus on her property.