On July 19, 2017, "Alley Cat Allies" President Becky Robinson replied to Rick Sinnott's June 21 commentary concerning the feral cat "management program" called "trap-neuter-release." Robinson's piece was essentially a canned essay she posts in newspapers anywhere there's resistance to this worthless scheme, or where "no-kill" animal extremists pressure local governments to adopt it.
Robinson said, "It's important that Alaskans have the facts about trap-neuter-return, or TNR, process by which community cat populations are stabilized and managed."
The problem is her article is completely devoid of facts, as Sinnott rightly pointed out. I'll go Rick one further—those arguing "TNR" reduces feral cat populations are simply lying. This is so obvious Alley Cat Allies has jettisoned its former claim that "TNR reduces cat populations" for "TNR stabilizes and manages" those populations — which essentially means nothing. Despite six decades of TNR — at least three decades in the U.S. — the stray/feral cat population still increases 25 percent-33 percent annually.
The average of every ASPCA estimate I've found is 84.5 million (range 47-122 million) stray/feral cats. Add 58 million unconfined "owned" cats, of which 80 percent—46.6 million—aren't sterilized. Are ASPCA estimates reliable? Probably not — they advocate TNR, and their "estimates" tend to rise or fall depending on whether they're trying to sell TNR, or defend it from its critics.
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Director of the Smithsonian Institute Migratory Bird Center Peter Marra points out reliable estimates of unconfined cat populations are as difficult to formulate as, well, herding cats. Dr. Marra is constrained by the scientific principles he espouses to present findings as accurately as his research allows. His research has shown that unconfined invasive felines torture and destroy tens of billions of native wild mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians annually.
Robinson, the ASPCA, HSUS, Best Friends Animal Society and other exploiters of abandoned animal misery are not so constrained. They prefer "alternative facts" which keep those donations rolling in.
[Related: Alaska has far too many impractical cats]
Robinson continued:
"In August, Alaska residents will have access to a proposal to exempt 'sterilized feral cats' from the list of species currently prohibited from being released into the wild. Rather than let Sinnott's fearmongering claims about TNR dictate public opinion, it's time to set the record straight about what the Alaska Board of Game will be voting on in November."
Which is precisely what Robinson won't do. Two proposals going before the Board of Game in November which advocate regulatory changes concerning invasive felines are listed under "Permits for Possessing Live Game" as Proposals 62 and 63. The former was submitted by "Mojo's Hope", Alley Cat Allies' local franchise, to legalize TNR. I submitted the latter. It advocates strengthening 5AAC.92.029—which as written prohibits maintaining domesticated animals unconfined — to specifically outlaw keeping unconfined invasive felines under the aegis of TNR or other "no-kill" programs.
Mojo's Hope already maintains illegal cat-colonies. The group's president, Shannon Basner, has alluded to this on her website, and that the colonies have operated "under the radar." She volunteers at the Anchorage animal shelter. Anchorage Animal Control Officer John Lees verbally confirmed to me last year that private individuals — including members of Mojo's Hope — maintain illegal feral cat colonies in Anchorage.
The central falsehood to Basner's proposal is that it will exempt sterilized feral cats. Who's keeping count of how many cats are being sterilized under TNR? Not the TNR charlatans!
Some years ago Best Friends Animal Society maintained online spreadsheets intended to demonstrate the "success" of TNR. Out of 100 TNR programs listed thereon, only one only one — Oregon — claimed a success rate greater than 0.4 percent. Their herculean efforts yielded an astonishing 4.9 percent. Problem is that just to "stabilize" the population—i.e. to prevent net annual increase—sterilization must at minimum be 75 percent-91 percent. When this was pointed out, Best Friends Animal Society took down their spreadsheet in embarrassment.
Considering that 1.3 million Americans' eyesight is threatened by toxoplasmosis-induced ocular lesions, 85 percent of pregnant American women are at risk of transmitting toxoplasmosis to their unborn children, and one third of low-income black American children are infected with toxocariasis—from cat- and dog-vectored parasitic roundworms which cause developmental disability and blindness — it is unconscionable for Ms. Robinson to accuse Rick Sinnott of "fear-mongering." I'll heed an Alaskan biologist's concerns over agenda-driven "humane" donation-hustlers' denials.
Robinson continued:
"The proposal that has been submitted is all about giving Alaska communities a choice."
"It's about" is a lazy, deceptive means of arguing by saying nothing substantive — apparently Ms. Robinson's specialty. Instead let's ask Alaskan mother Lauren Hamm what her "choice" would be.
She ate a medium-rare steak from a moose her husband shot in the 26th week of her pregnancy. She gave birth prematurely due to toxoplasmosis infection — the moose had browsed an area contaminated by "community" cats and its tissues were infected with Toxoplasma gondii oocysts. Her son Bennett was born prematurely. He remained in neonatal intensive care for three weeks.
Mrs. Hamm transmitted her infection to her unborn baby. He was born Dec. 13, 2011, with a heart rate of 200 beats per minute. His organ cavities were filled with lymphocyte-fluid, and he had lesions on his eyes and brain. He'll remain at risk for blindness, hearing-loss, epilepsy and cerebral palsy—at the very least—for life. Eighty-five percent of infants born to toxoplasmosis-infected mothers will exhibit symptoms of the disease months, or years, after birth.
I'll accept Robinson's "fear-mongering" accusation. Fear is justified. TNR-driven feral cat proliferation has infected 60 percent of Ohio's white-tailed deer. Alaska's subsistence hunters might ask how many hunters and their families are eating those deer, and if Robinson's and her ilk's importing this epidemiological nightmare to Alaska is a good idea.
Alaskans who've arrived at the rational answer to that question are urged to write to the Alaska Board of Game, opposing Proposal No. 62 and supporting Proposal No. 63. They can do so until Nov. 11, or they can register to speak before the board beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 10 for the Nov. 10-11 meeting at the Lakefront Hotel, 4800 Spenard Road in Anchorage.
Al-Hajj Frederick H. Minshall, a biologist by training, lives in Anchorage.
The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.