[Vision2020] Idaho Department of Fish and Game: UI did not get trapping OK

[Moscow Cares]

Perhaps the next time the State of Idaho considers trimming its education budget, it can start with the paycheck of University of Idaho's campus veterinarian Peter Autenried.

Courtesy of today's (August 30, 2016) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with a special note of appreciation to Saundra Lund for bringing up this subject.

---------------------------------

IDFG: UI did not get trapping OK
Cat trapping program reportedly no longer in effect on campus
Statements by University of Idaho's campus veterinarian Peter Autenried and communications personnel were called into question Monday when two agencies denied being notified or consulted concerning the trapping and euthanasia of feral cats on campus.

Autenried said Wednesday seven feral cats had been trapped and killed at the university since January. Autenried said some of the animals were kittens, but they "had snotty noses and some of them were pretty skinny, so we decided to euthanize them. We did not keep any, although we would have if we had a facility set up to keep them, treat them, spay them, and place them, if they would be suited to do so."

Autenried said he received authorization to trap feral cats from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, in accordance with Moscow city code, and that he had asked staff at the Humane Society of the Palouse for assistance in handling the cats. UI communications personnel confirmed Autenried's claims to the Daily News on Wednesday and to KREM 2 in Spokane on Saturday.

Mark Carson, regional conservation officer for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said Monday, however, his department would not have issued authorization to the university, as it does not deal with feral cats. That responsibility falls to officials in Moscow.

According to Section 5-16 of Moscow Police Regulations, "Unless authorized by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game ... no person shall set a trap to catch an animal (other than a mouse, rat, gopher, vole or mole) within City limits, except a person specifically authorized by the Council or by the Chief of Police or designee."

Moscow Police Chief James Fry said the university did not procure authorization from him, and Mayor Bill Lambert said the authorization did come from the council.

While Autenried and Stefany Bales, UI executive director of university communications and marketing, said Wednesday Fish and Game had given the authorization, UI Communications Director Jodi Walker said Monday she was unable to address the statement made by Fish and Game, as the office of communications received its information from Autenried.

Autenried and the communications department also said Wednesday the university had reached out to the HSOP earlier in the spring for help with the feral cat problem but was told there were no resources available.

According to Trina Pickett at HSOP, the university's problem with feral cats was not known to the office until late last week and they had not been asked to help.

Walker said she was unable to respond to the statement as, once again, the communications office received its information from Autenreid.

According to the communications office, the university's program of trapping and euthanizing feral cats was suspended last week and Autenried's Wednesday statement of there being three traps left on the UI campus - soon to be moved to a new location near the Lionel Hampton School of Music for further trapping - was no longer accurate.

---------------------------------

Stay tuned, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" 
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20160830/fe46ce04/attachment-0001.html>