i had kinda hope speakman had died, what a pity
If they are not bringing home native birds it’s because there are none around left to kill.
Under the Cat Act, cats must be sterilised, microchipped and registered with local government.
Western Australia, as of Nov 2013, will have strict laws against owning cats. Which I think is fucking awesome.
Around here I piss all over the sides of the house and shit in the garden. I hiss at them when I see them and try to shoot them with my 'water gun'.
At the expense of ruffling the feathers of cat-owners, I would fully support moves to phase-out domestic cat ownership (generationally) in New Zealand.Kill a cat, save ten birds.http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/7470900/Stewart-Island-moggies-may-get-marching-ordersPretty much this, on a national basis.There's such lax regulation of domestic cat ownership in this country, but even with microchips and strict management in place by the owners - cats have a natural propensity to prey. I don't know if you can actually mitigate that in an effective way* - apart from removing them entirely. From a conservation standpoint, it seems arrogant and bizarre that we would allow the continued breeding and proliferation of one the major threats to our unique native wildlife. Cats serve no industrial purpose, and are unnecessary. Their utility is derived from being a pleasure to own, and a creature comfort. I don't think it's implausible that we could find a suitable replacement.Current efforts to mute the negative effects of feral cats, stoats, possums are, in part, negated by the continued proliferation of domestic cats - who, due to irresponsible owners, often cause significant damage to endemic fauna. There's not much point in trying to eliminate all the feral cats, when people's negligence means a continued supply of replacement bird-hunters exists.*By-laws or even legislation could make it mandatory to ensure cats are kept on the property of the owner at all times, but it would require a fair bit of administrative costs + enforcement to be effective. I spose you could try to offset this by having extremely punitive fines.
Absolutely with Gareth Morgan.I think we should take it further.. Treat cats like dogs.. Illegal to let them off your property and if it gets caught roaming the streets it goes to the pound until you pay muchos dinero.I used to regularly put a .22 slug from an air rifle into any cat I saw on my property, until I was advised that unless I could guarantee a kill it probably wasn't "humane". Still think it should be legal.
If you did that to a dog the whole country would be calling for your head.
But dogs don't eat native species of NZ like cats do.
Ahem, Kiwi's.
