Today we are condemning a plan by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to trap and remove cats at Barnett Access in Heber Springs, Arkansas.
Last week, the Game and Fish Commission declined offers by Alley Cat Allies to coordinate a Trap-Neuter-Return program for the cats at no cost to the state.
There are humane options available to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commissionoptions that will work for everyone, and have already worked for communities all over the country. Instead taxpayer dollars will be used to carry out the trap and remove effort, which it will not be effective in permanently clearing the area of cats. Trapping and removing cats, commonly practiced for decades, creates a void in the habitat where new, unneutered cats will move in and reproduce through a naturally occurring phenomenon known as the “vacuum effect.”
We are disappointed that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has chosen a costly, “˜knee-jerk’ approach over a humane, proven, sustainable long-term solution.
Read the Press Release.
Learn more about the vacuum effect.