Nat'l Park Service tries to kill 200 cats

News and headlines for March 23 - 29, 2024

The National Park Service is trying to kill 200 cats on federal lands in Puerto Rico. However, that plan may be overturned if a lawsuit filed against the plan is successful. According to the complaint filed in Federal Court, “the park service arbitrarily ended the [TNR] program and has instead shifted to a phased approach that will include trapping and removal efforts by an animal welfare organization (or, if necessary, a removal agency), removal of all feeding stations, and euthanizing [killing] any removed cats deemed unsuitable for adoption and cannot fit in shelters with limited space.” Plaintiffs say “the park service’s justification for the sudden policy change is flimsy, at best. 

In other news: German lawmakers seek to “ban the reproduction of breeds prone to particular problems, such as the frequent spinal issues seen in dogs with short legs and a long back.” New York lawmakers seek to ban “cruel and inhumane” glue traps. A U.S. Appeals Court ruled that a Fish & Wildlife Service regulation allowing Alaska oil and gas companies to harass polar bears and walruses violates the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Roughly twice as many viruses pass from humans to animals than from animals to people. This November, a measure to ban factory farming will be put before voters in Sonoma County, CA. An OpEd tells Utah’s Governor that his No Kill declaration will fail because it did not come with legislative mandates to force kill “shelters” to comply — and unless forced, they won’t.

These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:

German lawmakers are considering legislation that “seeks to strengthen existing laws on so-called ‘torture breeding.’” If passed, the law would “ban the reproduction of breeds prone to particular problems, such as the frequent spinal issues seen in dogs with short legs and a long back.” Not surprisingly, breeders and groups that profit from dogs, like the German Kennel Club, are fighting the draft law. Germany is not the only one going after the exploitative breeding industry.

As previously reported, New Hampshire lawmakers debated a bill “to ban the breeding of dogs with known breathing issues.” The American Kennel Club is similarly fighting that bill. They claim there is no evidence that these physical attributes lead to suffering. This is untrue, and they know it (or ought to).

For example, a Norwegian court ruled that the selective breeding of bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels violates animal welfare laws protecting animals and is illegal:

Structurally flattened faces are associated with numerous health problems with varying degrees of severity, including brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). The condition, as its name suggests, causes breathing difficulties and is associated with exhaustion, overheating, regurgitation, sleep apnea and collapse. Snuffling and snoring, considered by some as an endearing characteristic of brachycephalic breeds, can be a sign they are struggling for oxygen…

Moreover, a 2017 study based on American pet insurance claims found that dogs with flat faces “were less healthy than other dogs. They were more prone, for instance, to suffer from heart disease, pneumonia and gastrointestinal problems.”