[Vision2020] Change.org Petition: "University of Idaho: Stop Trapping and Killing Free Roaming Cats"

[Saundra Lund]

Thanks, Ted, for sharing the information.   Wow – the petition has over 10,000 signatures, and lot look to be from Idaho.  Some of the comments I see are from current students, alum, and donors.  I suspect “America’s Veterinarian,” the esteemed and very popular Dr. Marty Becker, DVM (who did undergrad work at the UI) calling his alma mater out is responsible for more than a few of the signatures  :)  It’s gotta be tough when someone who actually knows what he’s talking about takes issue with a killing cabal.

 

Thanks, too, for letting me know about the flyer on the public bulletin board outside the Co-Op.  I’m quite glad to learn the issue is getting even more local attention because -- thanks to the Daily News reporting and early reporting by the Arg, too -- we now know the UI lied about having secured the permission required to set the traps (it had no such authorization); and, of course, we now know it’s not just about cats on campus.  Other species targeted for eradication/extermination from campus include beavers (their post-trapping fate hasn’t been disclosed AFAIK) and 1000+ birds including starlings, brown-headed cowbirds, pigeons, and sparrows are known to have been targeted.

 

AKAIK, the UI hasn’t disclosed what – if any – other bird species were inadvertently trapped.

 

I’m also not aware if the UI has released what -- if any -- other species have been targeted for trapping & extermination.  Specific concerns I’ve heard raised include the fate of campus raccoons, skunks, rabbits, and squirrels.  Perhaps the “Task Force” report will contain more information.

 

I was very concerned to learn about the trapping and extermination of “vermin” birds on campus.  I had no knowledge about the methods used to trap large quantities of “vermin” birds.  I’m aware of mass poisoning as a control method, which is a real nightmare not only for the birds but also for everyone who lives within distance of the dying birds.  And there are, of course, concerns about the effects of the poison on “desirable” populations like raptors, pets, and other species that eat the poisoned birds (i.e., the suspected poisoning – intentional or inadvertent – of 13 bald eagles in Maryland is just one recent example).

 

I checked with some who have at least a little more knowledge about bird mass-trapping methods than I.  AFAIK, the UI hasn’t disclosed the bird trapping method(s) used, but given the large number of birds trapped, mass trapping was potentially used.  Mass trapping is a method that can absolutely devastate local populations of all birds, not just the targeted “vermin” species.  It apparently has a high potential for snaring unintended species, and it’s reportedly not uncommon that the non-target birds don’t survive the ordeal.  Perhaps the UI can adequately address those concerns, but they ain’t talking.  Someone on social media claimed to have seen the birds being trapped and that no songbirds or other native species were inadvertently trapped (or if they were, they “could have” be released), but the person refused to share any info, which made me suspicious . . . and social media isn’t exactly where I choose to find reputable information ;-)

 

The UI’s secrecy and silence and stonewalling – and unwillingness to answer reasonable questions (I never received any response to the questions I asked Dr. Autenried and copied to President Staben) – is likely all they can do to try to “protect” a flawed process because some of the things that come out of their mouths and fingers show their stunning ignorance on things they should know better about when designing and implementing an extermination program.

 

For instance, the UI’s “talking points” include a claim that kittens past 4-5 weeks can’t be socialized, which is flatly incorrect.  I know this is Idaho and all, but the year is 2016 and there’s no excuse for that kind of ignorance.

 

And, if that’s the state of the “knowledge” of the “experts” involved in the “let’s kill everything that offends us” war being waged on campus by the UI, what on earth does that tell us about the competence of those involved in coming up with a home-made gas chamber?

 

Or their ability to tell a feral cat from an owned kitty terrified by being trapped for God only knows how long and handled by unfriendly strangers out to kill them?

 

Failing to even check the trapped cats & kittens for microchips is another example of exactly how poorly thought out their culling plan was.

 

Another example of the incompetence of those involved was the failure to establish any record whatsoever of the cats trapped and killed.  Reportedly, the only records kept were the amounts of euthanasia drugs used to kill cat or kitten after they were asphyxiated to unconsciousness in Dr. Autenried’s jury-rigged gas chamber.  Owned cats in the area went missing during the time the UI was trapping cats.  I think I’ve mentioned before that I don’t agree with those who allow their cats to roam, but it’s perfectly legal.  Further, when I was on the City’s Animal Care and Control Task Force a number of years back, there was zero interest by anyone in changing that, which I know because I raised the question.  It was a complete non-starter, which even I understood, but I did think it was worth a try.

 

Nonetheless, owned cats went missing during the time the UI was engaged in its secret trapping campaign, and because Dr. Autenried failed to keep even the most basic records about the cats he killed, there’s no way for those whose cats went missing to determine if they wound up in the UI’s gas chamber.  

 

Hmm – I guess the lack of records is pretty darn suspiciously convenient for the UI. 

 

 

 

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

 

Man is not the lord of all the world's animals.  He is the protector.

~ John Forsythe

 

 

 

 

 

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Ted Moffett
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2016 8:16 PM
To: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] Change.org Petition: "University of Idaho: Stop Trapping and Killing Free Roaming Cats"

 

Perhaps this information is old news to the Vision2020 list... But just in case not...

 

Some on this list have taken serious issue with the U of I on this...

 

At the Moscow Food CO-OP today on the outside public bulletin board was a colored flyer with a picture of a cat, with the word "Vermin?" in big letters, containing a brief comment on the U of I's recently publicly revealed cat trapping and killing (euthanize is such a pathetic euphemism) program, ostensibly for so called "feral" cats.

 

I am not taking sides on this issue, but merely forwarding this information.

 

Anyway, the flyer indicated to visit Change.org, and the search revealed the following:

 

https://www.change.org/p/stop-trapping-and-killing-free-roaming-cats

 

University of Idaho: Stop Trapping and Killing Free Roaming Cats

 

Blaine O'Day Moscow, ID

 

As was recently reported in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, the University of Idaho is trapping cats around campus, having them evaluated by the campus veterinarian, and, depending on the cat's behavior, killed via gas chamber. Few cats are likely to survive such an evaluation since even pet cats will often act “feral” under such circumstances. And because many students have pet cats on campus, it’s likely these cats will be part of the roundup. Kittens that could easily have been removed and adopted out by the Humane Society of the Palouse have already lost their lives. These lethal roundups are inhumane and barbaric, and an exercise in futility. Even if the administration is successful in eradicating cats from our campus, it will only be temporarily. It’s only a matter of time before more cats turn up—unsterilized and unvaccinated—initiating the cycle once again. Hundreds of communities across the country have now adopted trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs, in which community cats are humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, ear-tipped, and returned to their colony. Kittens that can be socialized can be adopted into homes. Grounded in science, TNR stops the breeding cycle, thereby improving the lives of community cats—and the communities in which they live. The administration’s lethal roundups do not reflect our values as a University and a community. Let's change the way our community treats our "community cats" by demanding that the University of Idaho immediately stop all trapping and gassing, and instead work with area organizations to address this issue humanely

 

Blaine O'Day started this petition with a single signature, and now has 10,224 supporters. Start a petition today to change something you care about

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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

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