Australia’s decision to kill 2 million feral cats is the latest event in a battle among cat lovers, bird lovers and even celebrities over cats and their impact on wildlife. Feral cats roam in solitude, but issues surrounding the treatment of homeless cats is tangled in both pet owner and non-pet owners’ lives.
How many feral cats are there? How many animals are killed by them? Is it best to care for feral cats by having volunteers trap, neuter, vaccinate and release them, or trap them and take them away? Where feral cats come into conflict with endangered birds, is one life worth more than another?
Here & Now’s Robin Young talks with Vicki Croke of WBUR’s The Wild Life blog, about the relationship humans have with “wild” things.
Guest
- Vicki Croke, host of WBUR’s The Wild Life blog and author of “Elephant Company.” She tweets @TheWildLifeWBUR.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.