It really is a cat fight.
The National Park Service has drawn up a controversial plan to drive away hundreds of feral cats roaming Puerto Rico’s historic coastal capital — drawing attention from cat enthusiasts, who say cats are “one of the wonders of Old San Juan.”
The fur fell on about 200 cats, some believed to be descended from colonial-era kittens, which the feds say have become a nuisance while others call them national treasures.
“These cats are unique to San Juan,” said Danna Wakefield, a solar contractor who visits the San Juan cats every week.
“I and many other people love that walk because of the cats,” he said. “Otherwise, it would be a very boring trip.”
The cats call the 75-acre historic site surrounding Puerto Rico’s famous “El Morro” fort home and have become such a part of the tourist landscape that a statue in their honor was erected in the capital.
But the park service, which has stewed over the issue for years, this week announced a six-month plan to trap cats, calling furry cats a nuisance and “inconsistent with the cultural landscape.”
About 200 cats, some believed to be descended from colonial kittens, roam Puerto Rico’s historic Old San Juan. Universal Image Group via Getty Images Some of the stray cats that call Old San Juan home were brought in in the 20th century to deal with rodent infestations. AP
“All visitors will benefit from the removal of potential disease vectors from the park,” the federal agency said in a statement announcing the plan on Tuesday.
The park service raised the issue about two years ago, citing “encounters between visitors and cats and the smell of urine and feces,” and last year held a hearing on whether to boot the cats.
“The situation these animals are experiencing in the park, particularly in Paseo del Morro, is not suitable for them and is not consistent with the National Park Service’s policy on feeding animals and invasive species,” said the agency’s Superintendent Myrna Palfrey in October 2022.
This week, the feds announced it would opt to get rid of the cats, with existing feeding stations to be moved unless they put in traps to catch the cats.
The agency will then appoint an animal welfare group to decide what to do with the trapped cats, whether adoption or placement in a shelter — and to deal with cats that cannot be confined.
The US National Park Service announced a six-month plan to trap and remove hundreds of cats from Old San Juan. ullstein bild via Getty Images The “El Morro” fort, which dates back to the 16th century, is one of the historic sites in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. @cusmrtgrl / Instagram
The non-profit group Save a Gato, which currently helps care for more clown cats, questions whether the plan is feasible with so many cats’ lives hanging in the balance.
“Anyone who has worked with cats knows that is impossible,” said Ana Maria Salicrup, secretary of the board of Save a Gato. “They set us up for failure.”
Alicrup also described it as unrealistic to think the agency could find space for so many cats in local homes and animal shelters.
“The response is always, ‘You can’t bring 100 cats in here,'” he said.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
