L.A. court ruling: Stop feeding ferals
Six conservation groups won a lawsuit on Friday against the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Animal Services to stop the practice of encouraging feral cat colonies until the legally required environmental impact reviews are performed.
The Los Angeles Superior Court found that the City of Los Angeles had been "secretly and unofficially" promoting "Trap-Neuter-Return," a controversial program to allow feral cats to run free, even while the Department of Animal Services promised to conduct an environmental review of the program.
The Court ordered the City to stop implementing TNR.
The plaintiffs, The Urban Wildlands Group, Endangered Habitats League, Los Angeles Audubon Society, Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society, and the American Bird Conservancy, sued the City in June 2008 to ensure that the controversial program to sanction and maintain feral cat colonies was not implemented before a full and public environmental analysis.
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Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
Dolly is right.
I have worked with numerous feral colonies and caretakers who are dilligent and give their time (at all hours) to feed, TNR, properly care for the ferals and foster/adopt out the drop-offs. If the cats are fixed, caring for them is easier, they fight less and they *obviously* don't procreate. Every colony I've experienced has dramatically reduced the numbers of cats by practicing TNR.
I agree with the need for an environmental study, but it should not require the cessation of TNR.
I'm hoping that the outcome will be an eye and mind opener to all involved who do not already know the benefits of TNR.
In non-Los Angeles cities, we will continue our dilligence to protect the ferals and people from each other.
Feral cats will cause more harm to the birds if they are not fed. It is "The Circle of Life" for a cat to eat prey to survey. The feral colonies are kept under control by TNR and if it wasn't for the dedication of the colony keepers there would be a lot more cats to eat more prey. We are attacking the strays instead of the people who put them there in the first place. The people need to be educated so the feral’s can get under control. The feral’s will die off if people spay and neutering their pets. Spend the money educating people or paying for spay and neuter programs. It is inhuman to stop feeding helpless animals that did not ask for this type of life in the first place. I love all animals and it kills me to see any animal hurt or be killed by another but it is part of the circle and i have to except it. Starving animals to death is not the answer; groups need to work together instead of attacking each other. In the long run we are all trying to save the life of the unfortunates.
Dolly
Torrance
So...if they stop feeding the cats....doesn't that mean the cats will eat more of the birds in the habitats? Seems pointless...ferals usually only live about five years so a TNR plan would eliminate the population over time. (Except for the fact that people will continue to dump unwanted cats which the city has no control over.)