Monday, July 12, 2004

Kitty De Carcass (bonus points to any non-Bostonian who gets that ref!)

If you live in Richmond Shire, Queensland, Australia, you can earn some extra money this fiscal year, but you have to have a hankering for cat hunting. According to this story from the Townsville Bulletin, officials are offering $5 AUS for every feral cat (Felis silvestris) carcass brought in by town residents. Animal rights groups are upset, as is to be expected, pointing out that any culling should be done in a humane way. The mayor of Richmond, John Wharton, noted that feral cats dine on several native bird and marsupial species, and claimed that his shire was "...leading the way in wildlife conservation." Where I live, cats are pretty much the only thing keeping moles, voles and chipmunks from completely overrunning the neighborhood. Hope Richmond has some hungry native carnivores out there.

Thanks to Val C. for sending the link to this article.

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