Feral Freedom Hits The Streets
21 November 2008
by Anai Rhoads
AnaiRhoads.org -- The City of Jacksonville, Florida will now humanely tackle the overpopulation in Duval County by incorporating a trap, neuter and return (TNR) programme.
During a news conference Thursday, First Coast No More Homeless Pets, a private local spay-neuter organisation, Best Friends Animal Society and the Jacksonville Humane Society banned together with local representatives from the city to announce a programme called Feral Freedom.
"Our goal is to create a paradigm shift in the way society relates to community cats," said Paul Berry, chief executive officer of Best Friends Animal Society. "These cats are not nuisances to be destroyed. They are part of the fabric of our communities."
Feral Freedom will work closely with private and government agencies to control the overpopulation of wild cats. Currently, most animal control agencies in the U.S. use the "trap and kill" method whereby roaming felines are captured and euthanised. The organisation's hope is that more cities employ the TNR method, which not only saves the life of the community cats, but prevents further breeding once they are put back on the street.
"Whether it is through innovative programs like Feral Freedom or other efforts to bolster adoptions through strategic partnerships such as the one with the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS), we are always looking for ways to increase the number of live releases of animals from our shelter," said Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi, director of Jacksonville's Environmental and Compliance Department. "I believe this new programme is another step in the right direction toward accomplishing that goal."
It is difficult to approximate how many millions of feral cats roam the streets in the U.S., but it is clear that just picking them up and killing them hasn't worked.
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