The ‘animal welfare law’ grants immunity to feline colonies, although they threaten other species
The Law on Animal Rights and Welfare, approved on Monday by the Council of Ministers, grants special protection to stray cats, to which an entire chapter is dedicated, whether they are “abandoned, lost, unsterilized marauders or their litters.” In the allegations phase, the scientists dedicated to ecology and conservation requested that the specimens of the feline colonies be considered as wild animals, because they are predators that represent a threat to native species, whether in natural spaces or urban. However, the new law introduced an unprecedented concept, that of the “community cat”, to define the one that lives in “human environments and is not adoptable” and grant it a series of benefits.
“Wild cats have a very negative effect on the conservation of species, especially on the islands,” warns Pedro Romero, a researcher at the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville. “In the law, which is necessary and has positive points, there are problematic aspects that cause us great concern, such as the convoluted definitions that give rise to ambiguity, such as the ‘community cats’, which is not clear what they are, and the of ‘abandoned animals’, which allows anyone to take an animal that they consider abandoned, even in natural spaces».
The so-called ‘animal welfare law’, which is now beginning its journey in Congress, requires “respecting the integrity, safety and quality of life” of feral cats. Also from the “facilities” where people usually leave food for him. Governments must capture, sterilize and return specimens to the same place.
Cats (mentioned 63 times in 72 pages of the law) cannot be euthanized either, although there are exceptions for health reasons, nor confined unless it is for sterilization or relocation, or they are “puppies” to be adopted.
“Not much attention was paid to us in the final resolution,” laments Romero, who signed articles and manifestos along with several other scientists, against the privileges granted to wild cats.
Relocate or move
“Some animal groups have been prioritized over the scientific field and they have not even said who advised them in terms of conservation ecology,” continues Romero. «The control method they propose, which consists of sterilizing the feline colonies, is not effective. It has been demonstrated with scientific evidence in the places where it has been applied, such as in Rome. They are free-living and only congregate when they are provided with food at certain points. But it is impossible to control the totality of a population, due to the contributions of individuals that come from outside. In addition, even if they are sterilized, the cat continues to kill.
The text approved by the Government has been “softened” and now contemplates “relocating or displacing” wild cats if they pose “a negative impact” on the biodiversity of “protected natural spaces”, “Natura 2000 Network”, “protected fauna” or “people’s health.” However, Romero considers that cats “always cause harm, because they hunt a very wide variety of species, such as birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. No matter how much you feed it, it always hunts. In the Canary Islands, for example, they have catastrophic consequences and it is one of the causes that most affects species that are unique. And in urban spaces we also have protected fauna. According to this law, all colonies should be relocated.
Sheepdogs, pets with mandatory GPS
Sheepdogs and hunting dogs are now considered pets. Therefore, their owners, the shepherds, must provide them with an “identification system” that facilitates the “traceability” of the specimen dedicated to hunting or grazing activities. The latter, in addition, must be «permanently located through geolocation systems.
“Measures such as the GPS of sheepdogs must be supported by the Government,” says scientist Pedro Romero. «They must say what to do with the data and how it will be done to have them located 24 hours a day. At least they have corrected issues such as the impediment to carrying out their activities before 18 months.
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