Cats and Birds Again (or Still)
No Room for Both Piping Plovers and Feral Felines in Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey, is struggling to find a compromise that allows both cats and endangered birds to live. Can they do it?
Cats kill birds—both roaming domestic cats and feral cats, regardless of whether they are well fed or not. Just about everyone can agree on that point. From there, however, disagreement multiplies until fur and feathers are flying, both literally and figuratively. How many birds do cats kill? How many feral cats are there? Do cats just take old and infirm birds or do they endanger bird populations? Do trap, neuter, release programs reduce the numbers of feral cats? Do feral cat eradication programs reduce the number of feral cats? Are feral cats a part of nature? Should we interfere? On the surface, these questions don’t sound complicated, but step into a community where cat lovers and bird lovers have squared off and you will find the issues are anything but simple.
In Cape May, New Jersey, there is an unusually poignant situation. The area is a renowned birding location, and a breeding site of the endangered Piping Plover. It is also home to many cat lovers, and the site of feral cat colonies that are part of trap, neuter, release programs. People have worked long and hard to protect the breeding sites of Piping Plovers, a shorebird that is showing signs of recovery. Other people have worked long and hard to improve the lives of feral cats and control their numbers in Cape May. But endangered ground nesting shorebirds and feral cat colonies are incompatible—it’s just crazy to think that that makes sense. It may actually be illegal—federal law requires Cape May to protect the Piping Plover.
They’re trying to solve it peacefully in Cape May. The city, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Jersey Audubon Society, Cape May’s animal control department and various advocacy groups are involved, and they appear to be talking rather than fighting. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. For this year, the worst damage is done—Piping Plovers have nested and will soon be heading south to their winter range, where they will face a whole new set of dangers and threats.
More about Piping Plovers:
More about feral cats and birds:
