Feral cats of Jerusalem are about to be mass killed!!! Your help needed!!!

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Anne

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And a note, not to do with Jerusalem in specific but with the cats of Israel. Check out the webcam at the kittens adpoption room (where people who come to adopt can meet some of the kittens):

http://192.117.117.172/cgi-bin/wcs/l...AGE=index.html

The room is packed full
as it's the kitten season hardly anyone comes to adopt while on the other hand people keep dumping cats at the shelter... I was there for half the day today and it broke my heart - so many lovely lovely cats and kittens, yearning for human touch and compassion
sorry - just had to vent about it as it made me feel really bad today
 
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Anne

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Last I heard things were not good. The city has decided to poison cats and dogs found on the streets (that would be ferals, strays or even outdoors house cats). They are calling people to keep their cats indoors only and will fine anyone whose cat is found outside (if they don't kill the cat first).

They don't seem to mind the public pressure...

 

ldg

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Several of us had problems. I don't know if you saw at the beginning of the thread, but Anne offered to fax any letters you want to get to the Mayor of Jerusalem. Just e-mail you letter to her and she will fax it on.
 

ldg

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Got this in the mail a few days ago.

***********************************

28/07/03

Dear Laurie:
Your letter to Mayor Lupolianski has been directed to my department. I will respond briefly. Firstly, I am very impressed with the large amount of "research" that you have undertaken as to the control of feral cats in the U.S.A. and elsewhere. Unfortunately, it appears that you are unfamiliar with a large and recently completed study that was undertaken locally. The project was collaborated between Dr. Tsipori of the Herzlia Veterinary Municipal Services and the University of Tel-Aviv (Supervised by Prof. Yoram Yom Tov and the thesis presented by Anvel Brikner). To summarize: After a one and a half year project, in which stray cats from Herzlia, Israel were captured, sterilized, and subsequently released in the same region, it was observed that the prevalence of stray cats increased significantly in the given region. In this comprehensive thesis, it was concluded that unless a program in which at least 95% of the resident cat population were sterilized, the effect of cat population control would not be achieved. Unfortunately, in practice, this is not possible for various reasons such as a lack of the available veterinary manpower to carry out such surgical procedures on a large scale and for a sustained period of time. In addition, not all cats are ever caught in the available cat traps and those that are not sterilized reach maturity within a short period (approximately 6 months of age). These cats are able to breed several times a year with each litter resulting in anything up to five kittens. The Tel Aviv Municipality has definitely not achieved the desired objectives in its check on cat population control and, Municipal Veterinarian, Dr. Galin, would be the first to admit so.

Although your compassion for animals is well appreciated, you would be better informed if reading papers written by objective researchers instead of basing information on those opinions of welfare groups looking out after their own interests. I would be pleased to discuss the problem with you if still not convinced with the lack of effectiveness of large regional neuter programs.

Thank you sincerely
Dr. Arieh Litvak
Head Veterinarian
Municipality of Jerusalem

******************************************

First of all, I think he missed the point - which was the lack of effectiveness of extermination programs. The information I provided to them included the study of Marion Island. It was not a study conducted by a sympathetic "welfare group." It was a group of scientists that left cats behind on a small Island in 1949. Because a population of 5 cats grew to over 3400 in 30 years and was decimating the native bird population, it was decided to exterminate the cats. Here's the reference:

http://www.messybeast.com/eradicat.htm

from WHY FERAL ERADICATION WON'T WORK
Copyright 1994, 2003 Sarah Hartwell

"Marion Island, south-east of South Africa between Antarctica and South Africa, is a small inhospitable island (approx 20 km x 13 km [ 12 miles x 8 miles] = 30,000 hectares). In 1993, after a 16-year battle, more than 3000 feral cats have been eradicated from Marion Island. It is believed to be the first time that so many cats have been eliminated from an island of this size. It took 16 years of cost and effort to eradicate 2,500 (lower estimate) to 3,400 (higher estimate) cats from a small island where the vacuum effect could not occur.

"In 1949, a group of scientists left the island, leaving behind 5 unneutered cats. By 1975 there were 2,200 - 2,500 cats on the island preying on ground-nesting seabirds. The population was increasing by an estimated 23% each year. By 1977, there were an estimated 3,400 cats. Deliberate infection with feline enteritis killed around 65% of the cats but the remaining 35% developed an immunity to the disease and continued to breed. By 1982, there may have been as few as 620 surviving cats, all immune to the virus and breeding further generations of immune cats.

Jack Russell Terrier dogs were used to flush out the remaining cats and between 1986 and 1989 further cats were exterminated by hunting. 897 cats were shot. It still required traps with poison baits to eliminate those cats which had eluded the dogs and guns. There appears to be no information on how many seabirds ate poisoned bait and died themselves. No cats have been seen since 1991 and in 1993, the programme was declared a success. Eradication programmes can only succeed in relatively small and geographically isolated areas. On the mainland, the area would quickly be flooded with cats moving into the vacated area."

BTW - the information I sent was not "studies" by welfare groups, but not-for-profit organizations that manage TNR programs IN CONJUNCTION WITH the municipalities or counties. They weren't studies, but actual results of tax-payer cost savings in San Fran, San Diego, one or two University campuses, Kings County (Seattle), etc.

Gary has very kindly offered to call these people and have a "chat" with them. His ability to speak Hebrew combined with his ... ability to express himself well verbally should help.

He was just as upset at the tone of the letter as I was. Very snide.
 

hissy

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and very condescending as well. Carries off the attitude that what they are doing is completely justified because nothing else works. I would be interested to hear how that phone conversation goes Laurie.
 

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Hmm why do I have a feeling you were just pat on the head & sent on your way as a poor, child who doesn't know better. That was really condensending.
 
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Anne

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How patronizing and how typical of the Jerusalem department of veterinary services
As far as I know, Dr. Galin, the wonderful Tel Aviv veterinarian does not think his efforts since 1994 have failed... Not only do they continue but they are actually about to implement a wider plan and have more areas in central Israel covered by TNR.


Like you said, he missed the mark by not relating to the fact that eradication isn't effective. The only argument there which might be plausible is their lack of funds (which of course would only mean they really do need to switch to TNR only they don't realize it yet). But that doesn't explain their constant harming of cats and preventing people from taking care of feral cats at their own expense (including spaying and neutering) and I have at least two cases where the city vet tried to and in one case succeeded in threatening people from taking care of feral cats.

One of the students in my course is from Jerusalem. She and her partner have the financial means and certainly the wish to take care of the ferals around them. Moreover, they were having a problem with one of their indoors-only cats and I suggested that they need to trap a local male cat and have him neutered as he was stressing the cats (his scent is carried in through the windows). They told me there's nothing they'd like to do more - to trap the local cats and have them all spayed and neutered. But - the municipal vet himself came to their place, invited by the neighbors back when they let their cats outside (and God forbid were feeding the ferals occasionally as well). He told them that if a neighbor reports that they are having any contact with the ferals at all, he will consfiscate their pet cats!
They have 16 cats, all rescues, and they take excellent care of their cats! He was the first to admit that they were. But he said it's withing his authority to limit them to 4 cats only and if they don't play by his rules he's going to take away 12 of their cats and have them put down!!!
As you can imagine, he touched the one point where any cat lover would be his hostage... they daren't do anything for fear of their cat being taken away from them and killed - how more vicious can you get?


Laurie, would you please forward a copy of his reply to Rivi? I'm sure she can also help you with plenty of local facts as well about the history of the Jerusalem municipality and its treatment of cats. She can maybe give Gary some ammo for his talk.
 
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Anne

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Laurie, reading his letter again - has he really put the quotes around "research" himself?
 

ldg

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And DTetrev, your post made me laugh! It so feels like that!!!
What you may not know is that my husband and I are partners in business - and get this - we conduct research for a living! We're analysts on "Wall Street," and Gary's actually the Chief Investment Officer of our firm. We publish stock recommendations after extensive research, and our client base are the professional money managers who manage mutual funds and hedge funds and stuff. Gary also lived in Israel for almost 10 years, and speaks Hebrew fluently. ESPECIALLY if armed with further research from Israel, I have a feeling Dr. Litvak might be wishing he'd written that letter a little differently. *evil grin*
 

ldg

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And Anne, I have to add that your post really infuriated me. I totally understand your flames. This is a policy that is not only unjust - it's insane! It leaves me wondering how the political system in Israel works that laws and policies like this even get passed. I'll ask Gary when I have several hours to listen...

But how horrible, terrible, awful. Horrific is truly the word to use here. Your flames are more than justified. I physically feel naseous.
 
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