AR-News: (AU) Cat fight over bounty

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

Townsville Bulletin
 
By _JOHN  ANDERSEN_ (mailto:andersenj at nqn.newsltd.com.au) 
06jul04  
THE Richmond Shire Council has placed a $5 bounty on  feral cat carcasses.

The council has included the bounty payment in its  just released 2004-2005 
budget.  
The decision to put a price on the head of feral cats has enraged cat lovers  
Australia-wide.  
Melbourne-based executive director of Animals Australia Glenys Oogjes said  
the council was encouraging cruelty and should be ashamed.  
"It's clear to wildlife science that animal bounties do not work," Ms Oogjes  
said.  
"All they will do is waste money and inflict harm and suffering on animals.  
"It's wrongheaded and they should be able to be prosecuted.  
"This is not something that should happen in a civilised society.  
"It makes a mockery of animal protection legislation."  
Richmond Mayor John Wharton said the bounty only would be paid to Richmond  
shire residents and instead of bringing in the cats' scalp as proof of kill,  
hunters would be required to produce the carcass.  
"I can see kids here picking up a bit of pocket money," Cr Wharton said.  
"We like to think we're leading the way in wildlife conservation."  
He said a La Trobe University study on Richmond Shire's Proa Station in the  
late 1990s found on average the stomachs of feral cats contained four species 
of  birds and small marsupials.  
"They would shoot cats during the night and next day examine their stomachs.  
"They found dunnarts (small marsupials) and birds.  
"They eat a lot of finches, quail and (wild) budgerigars."  
Cr Wharton said there were between 12 and 15 million feral cats in Australia. 
  
He said feral cats were driving native birds out of Richmond.  
Toowoomba-based cat lover Eva Berrima said Cr Wharton and his council were  
encouraging people to kill cats. 
full  story:
_http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,10055406%255E1
4787,00.html_ 
(http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,10055406%5E14787,00.html)  



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Through me the dumb shall speak,
Till the deaf world's ears be  made to hear
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