The first cats were domesticated thousands of years ago, but we don't seem to have much control over them. Cats kill billions of birds and mammals each year, and many people let their cats come and go as they please. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at least 33 species of animals have been extinct due to the lack of time spent outside.
Pets that are allowed to roam outside harm wildlife. The situation in Australia is so bad that officials want to kill 2 million cats. The Fish and Wildlife Service warns against trapping, neutering, and releasing cats because they don't protect native fauna.
The Stephens Island wren, the crescent nailtail wallaby, and the adorable desert bandicoot are all too late. We highlight a few of the species that are threatened by outdoor cats.
The bird is native to Australia. Since 2007, it has been critically threatened and a captive breeding program exists to help boost its numbers. They are not safe from felines even in captivity. According to Australia's ABC News, the birds died of head trauma after a cat snuck into the aviary and tried to get away.
The numbat is an anteater in Australia. The numbat is a cross between a squirrel and a tiger. Less than 1,000 individuals are thought to be alive today, and they are under threat from cats and other animals.
The Otago skink is one of many lizards in New Zealand that are threatened by cats. Island species are vulnerable to rats and cats. The dodo was only found on the island of Mauritius. The bird had no chance when pigs and macaques arrived. The skink can grow up to a foot long, and there may be as many as 2,000 still alive. The skinks are easy targets because they didn't evolve to avoid being eaten by cats.
The kkp is endemic to New Zealand. The bird is bad at sex and highly inbred. The species has been protected from extinction thanks to the efforts that have been ongoing for decades. Cats like to eat birds that can't fly away and don't recognize them as a threat.
The Key Largo woodrat is a rare animal. A captive breeding program with the assistance of Lowery Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom was conducted from 2002 to 2012 with the hope of captive releases into the wild. All the woodrats fell victim to cats.
The nene is endemic to the island chain. The nene was at the verge of extinction in the 1960s due to introduced predators including cats and mongooses. The animals face another cat-borne threat, this time the T. gondii, which is linked to the deaths of nene and Hawaiian monk seals.
The Chinese mountain cat has a bushy tail and blue eyes, but it's not like a house cat. The Chinese mountain cat has a genetic diversity that is different from the felines, but some worry that it will be lost as the cats mate.
I know what you are thinking, there is no way a house cat could take down a panther. Sometimes warfare is a biological thing. The outbreak of feline leukemia virus in the Florida panther could be traced back to domestic cats, and it killed five panthers, a significant hit considering there are barely 200 left in the wild. This is how extinction sometimes happens with the compounding effects of different threats, like feline leukemia, which is not the death knell for panthers.
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You can get cheapnostalgic gadgets on eBay.
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There are horror movies for streaming and horror movies for screaming.
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You can now visit polar bears in an electric bug.
Getting to where the polar bears are is carbon-intensive. The last mile to visit them is now electric.
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The first cats were domesticated thousands of years ago, but we don't seem to have much control over them. Cats kill billions of birds and mammals each year, and many people let their cats come and go as they please. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at least 33 species of animals have been extinct due to the lack of time spent outside.
Pets that are allowed to roam outside harm wildlife. The situation in Australia is so bad that officials want to kill 2 million cats. The Fish and Wildlife Service warns against trapping, neutering, and releasing cats because they don't protect native fauna.
The Stephens Island wren, the crescent nailtail wallaby, and the adorable desert bandicoot are all too late. We highlight a few of the species that are threatened by outdoor cats.
The bird is native to Australia. Since 2007, it has been critically threatened and a captive breeding program exists to help boost its numbers. They are not safe from felines even in captivity. According to Australia's ABC News, the birds died of head trauma after a cat snuck into the aviary and tried to get away.
The numbat is an anteater in Australia. The numbat is a cross between a squirrel and a tiger. Less than 1,000 individuals are thought to be alive today, and they are under threat from cats and other animals.
The Otago skink is one of many lizards in New Zealand that are threatened by cats. Island species are vulnerable to rats and cats. The dodo was only found on the island of Mauritius. The bird had no chance when pigs and macaques arrived. The skink can grow up to a foot long, and there may be as many as 2,000 still alive. The skinks are easy targets because they didn't evolve to avoid being eaten by cats.
The kkp is endemic to New Zealand. The bird is bad at sex and highly inbred. The species has been protected from extinction thanks to the efforts that have been ongoing for decades. Cats like to eat birds that can't fly away and don't recognize them as a threat.
The Key Largo woodrat is a rare animal. A captive breeding program with the assistance of Lowery Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom was conducted from 2002 to 2012 with the hope of captive releases into the wild. All the woodrats fell victim to cats.
The nene is endemic to the island chain. The nene was at the verge of extinction in the 1960s due to introduced predators including cats and mongooses. The animals face another cat-borne threat, this time the T. gondii, which is linked to the deaths of nene and Hawaiian monk seals.
The Chinese mountain cat has a bushy tail and blue eyes, but it's not like a house cat. The Chinese mountain cat has a genetic diversity that is different from the felines, but some worry that it will be lost as the cats mate.
I know what you are thinking, there is no way a house cat could take down a panther. Sometimes warfare is a biological thing. The outbreak of feline leukemia virus in the Florida panther could be traced back to domestic cats, and it killed five panthers, a significant hit considering there are barely 200 left in the wild. This is how extinction sometimes happens with the compounding effects of different threats, like feline leukemia, which is not the death knell for panthers.
