Cat killer arrested in Galveston
An ornithologist charged with animal cruelty in a fatal cat shooting this week is a self-professed cat hater with a killing record that goes back to the time he arrived in one of the world's best birdwatching areas on west Galveston Island a decade ago.He appears to be a man who does not believe in survival of the fittest. It is always interesting to see "naturist" who decide for themselves to help one side of the natural process. It appears that the law has come down on the side of the cats.Wildlife author and photographer Jim Stevenson said in a 1999 Internet posting that "there were cats out the wazoo" when he built his isolated island home.
"And I'm sorry if this offends, but I sighted in my .22 rifle and killed about two dozen cats in about the first year," the passionate birdwatcher and professional birding guide wrote. "When we allow feral cats to roam free, we might as well be out there with BB guns plinking away at the songbirds ourselves."
Stevenson's arrest Wednesday stirred cat and bird lovers whose passions clash frequently across the nation and world. It has raised anew long-fought debates about what damage feral cats do to wildlife and how to stem the population growth of wild cats.
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Stevenson, 53, a Tallahassee, Fla., native and former high-school teacher there, faces a sentence of six months to two years and a $10,000 fine if convicted of felony animal cruelty, chief assistant Galveston County District Attorney Joel Bennett said.
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Our native fauna evolved in a world without this species of cat. They are especially vulnerable to cat attacks, and with even the feral cats being fed by people they have an unfair advantage and are displacing our natural predators.
ReplyDeleteNot a good thing at all.