Credits: floraandfaunaaotearoa.co.nz
The New Zealand government has implemented the latest phase of their "Predator Free 2050" initiative, which can only be described as something out of a dystopian novel. The current plans involve exterminating free-roaming and stray cats by the middle of the century and categorizing them along with rats and mustelids as invasive species. Moreover, officials have gone as far as to label them as "cold-blooded killers", indicating many things about the prevailing political culture of conservation, in addition to what is perceived to be true about these animals.
The government claims that the primary reason for the extermination plan is due to the overwhelming threat posed to native birds, bats, reptiles, and insects, which sounds reasonable, New Zealand has some of the most vulnerable wildlife on the planet, and many of the species there evolved without the presence of mammalian predators. However, the idea of utilizing poisonous bait that would kill cats directly or devising some device that would dispense poison to the cat walking by it... Given the total lack of compassion and ethics that this represents, it can be very difficult to justify this action. It seems very wrong to punish an animal for simply following its natural instincts.
There is no justification for a program to kill millions upon millions of sentient animals. If the proposed "solution" is to kill millions of sentient beings, the framework from which we are approaching this problem is deeply flawed.
The SPCA and other animal rights groups have been actively fighting this initiative and have been advocating for humane and non-lethal alternatives. They are currently circulating a petition (you can sign it here) that aims to stop the cessation of the feral cat population before it becomes a permanent solution.
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