.
. >>>
. >>> IN
. >>> IN WOODS BEHIND BUILDINGS
MAY BE BE4@HIND YOUR HOUSE
TALKING ABOUT FERAL CATS.
SOME SAFE -YEAR-OLD CAT
COLONIES ARE A SERIOUS HEALTH
HAZARD.
HAZARD.
HAZARD. VOLUNTEERS DISAGREE.
VOLUNTEERS DISAGREE. >> Reporter: ALL THESE LITTLE
BOXES HIDDEN BACK IN THE WOODS.
YOU WANT TO COME DOWN HERE?
BRING YOUR BOOTS AND HOLD YOUR
NOSE.
NOSE.
NOSE. THESE FERAL CAT COLONIES ARE
PLACES LIKE THIS. A NO MAN'S
LAND, WOODS BEHIND DUMPSTERS AS
FAST FOOD JOINT IN UPPER
MARLBORO, MARYLAND AND IT
STINKS.
STINKS.
STINKS. YEAR AND VULTURES POOP. 4@
FIRST THING YOU 4@NOTICE HERE?
TRASH EVERYWHERE TRASH ON THE
GROUND.
GROUND.
GROUND. ITS GROSS.
ITS GROSS. HUGE NUMBERS OF VULTURES,
SCAVENGERS.
SCAVENGERS. CATS SHARING FOOD WITH RACCOONS
OR 4@RATS OR SKUNKS. 4@
THERE IS A HIGH LIKELIHOOD FOR @
INJURY AND TRANSMISSION OF
DISEASE.
DISEASE.
DISEASE. ONE OF THEM BEING RABIES.
THERE ARE WELL OVER 20 CAT
SHELTERS HERE.
SHELTERS HERE. NOT AN IDEAL HOME FOR ANY OF
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. >>
THEM. >> I TRIED TO APPROACH ONE OF 4@
THESE CATS IT'S LIKE A WILD
ANIMAL. THEY LOOK LIKE
ANYBODY'S PET AND THAT IS ONE
OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS.
YOU SEE A CAT RUNNING AROUND
YOU ASSUME THAT SOMEBODY'S PET
SOME OF THESE ARE FERAL ANIMALS
THEY LIVE IN A WILD STATE.
>> I HAVE BEEN DOING IT, I
CAN'T LET THEM STARVE TO DEATH
BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GOING TO
DO WELL.
DO WELL.
DO WELL. >> Reporter: THAT IS MARION
PARKER THE ONE FEEDING THE CATS
THAT GRANT IS FIGHTING.
>> PEOPLE DUMP THEM? 4@
>> OH YET THEY DUMP THEM HERE
BECAUSE THEY FIGURE SOMEBODY
WILL TAKE CARE OF THEM.
>> Reporter: WHAT YOU DO IT?
>> WHY DO I DO IT?
I DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO.
>> Reporter: TYPICAL OF HOW
PEOPLE MANAGE FERAL CAT
COLONIES.
COLONIES.
COLONIES. GO TO A PUBLIC PLACE 4@AND PUT
THESE 4@LARGE BINS OUT, FEEDING
STATIONS JUST OUTSIDE WHERE
PEOPLE WOULD NORMALLY SEE THEM4
>> Reporter: GRANT IS THE
DIRECTOR OF INVASIVE SPECIES
PROGRAMS OF THE AMERICAN BIRD
CONSERVANCY.
CONSERVANCY. HERE IS THE THING A LOT OF
PEOPLE NEVER CONSIDER THESE
FERAL CAT COLONIES. HOW MANY 4@
BIRDS DO THESE FERAL CATS KILL
IN NORTH AMERICA?
>> EVERY YEAR IN THE UNITED
STATES AN ESTIMATED 2.4 BILLION
BIRDS ARE KILLED BY OUTDOOR
CATS.
CATS.
CATS. >>
CATS. >> Reporter: BILLION WITH THE
B?
B?
B? >>
B? >> THEY ARE PREDATORS AND THEY
WILL HUNT AND KILL 4@WILDLIFE
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT
THEY ARE HUNGRY4@ AND CATS HAVE
CONTRIBUTED TO THE EXTINCTION
OF AT LEAST 63 SPECIES IN THE
WILD.
WILD.
WILD. >>
WILD. >> Reporter: DID YOU SEE THIS,
AN ARTICLE4@ IN THE NEW YORK
TIMES SAME PROBLEM IN AUSTRALIA
EXCEPT THE GOVERNMENT HAS
COMMITTED ITSELF TO KILLING
MILLIONS OF FERA4@L CATS. WE AR
NOT THERE YET.
LET'S MOVE ON FROM THIS
DISGUSTING 4@FERAL CAT COLONY
HERE IN UPPER MARLBORO,
MARYLAND UP TO LAUREL, MARYLAND
WHERE TH4@ERE IS A GROUP OF
PEOPLE WITH A DIFFERENT POINT
OF VIEW.
OF VIEW.
OF VIEW. WHO CLAIMED THEY HAVE A
SOLUTION.
SOLUTION.
SOLUTION. >> NORMAL GIRLS MY AGE GOT A
BOYFRIEND OR HUSBAND OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
ME?
ME?
ME? I
ME? I TRAP CATS.
>> Reporter: A STRATEGY CALLED
TRAP, NEUTER AND RELEASE.
OR TNR.
OR TNR.
OR TNR. TONIGHT4@ IN LAUREL, SIX CATS A
TRAP THE NEXT DAY THEY GO TO A
VET TO BE NEUTERED OR SPAYED.
AN YEAR IS TIPPED SO THE CAT
CAN BE IDENTIFIED AND THEN THEY
LET THEM GO.
>> THE NUMBER OF THESE CATS HAS
BEEN REDUCED?
BEEN REDUCED? >> CORRECT COLONIES AND
COMMUNITIES THAT SPAY AND NEUTE@
CATS THE POPULATION HAS BEEN
DECLINING EVERY YEAR.
>> Reporter: WHAT ABOUT THE
BIRD STUFF WHAT 4@ABOUT THE
WILDLIFE?
WILDLIFE?
WILDLIFE? I HAVE READ THESE REPORTS,
INTERVIEWED INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED
. THEY SAY MORE THAN 1 BILLION
WILD BIRDS ANNUALLY? 4@
>> CATS EAT BIRDS THEY DO WHICH
IS WHY WE ARE TRYING TO
EVENTUALLY ELIMINATE OUTDOOR
CATS.
CATS.
CATS. ONE
CATS. ONE OF THE 4@MANY REASONS BY
SPAYING AND NEUTERING THESE
CATS OUT OF EXISTENCE AND
OUTDOORS.
OUTDOORS.
OUTDOORS. >> Reporter: WHY DO IT BY CATCH
AND RELEASE?
AND RELEASE? >> YOU CAN'T DO IT BY CATCH AND
EUTHANIZE WHICH IS WHAT THESE
GROUPS ARGUE. 4@
IS CATS ARE LIVING ON 4@PEOPLE'
PROPERTY, PRIVATE PROPERTY,
BEING CARED FOR BY INDIVIDUALS
AND THEY ARE NOT GOING TO LET
YOU GO HOME ON THE PROPERTY
KILLER CAT4@.
KILLER CAT4@. >> THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE
BEHAVIOR FOR DOG OWNERS WHY IS
IT ACCEPTABLE FOR CAT OWNERS?
WHY ARE WE ALLOWING4@ COLONIES
PACKS ESSENTIALLY OF FERAL
ANIMALS TO RUN 4@AROUND THE
ENVIRONMENT?
ENVIRONMENT? WE DON'T DO WITH DOGS.
>> Reporter: IS THIS LEGAL?
>> A LOT OF COMMUNITIES
INCLUDIN4@G PRINCE GEORGES COUN
SUPPORT TRAP4@ NEUTER AND RELEA
INCLUDIN4@G PRINCE GEORGES COUN SUPPORT TRAP4@ NEUTER AND RELEA@
POLICIES OR AT LEAST THEY DON'T
INTERFERE4@4@.
INTERFERE4@4@. >> WE HAVE A STRAY CAT HE.
>> Reporter: PRINCE GEORGE'S
ANIMAL CONTROL DIRECTOR TOLD ME
IF THEY CATCH CATS WITH CLIPPED
YEARS INDICATING THEY HAVE BEEN
SPAYED OR NEUTERED THEY GIVE
TNR GROUPS THREE DAYS TO GET
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. THEY CATCH 1400 OF THESE CATS
YEAR.
YEAR.
YEAR. THE
YEAR. THE CHIEF TOLD ME THE VAST
MAJORITY4@ ARE JUST TOO WHILE T
TRY TO ADOPT4@. AND ALL KINDS O
CONFLICTING SC4@IENCE ON TRAP
NEUTER AND RELEASE POLICIES.
SOME SCIENTISTS HAVE CONCLUDED
IT WORKS4@, BUT THERE ARE MANY @
OTHERS LIKE THIS SCIENTIFIC
REVIEW OF 90 RESEARCH ARTICLES
THAT CONCLUDES TNR DOES NOT
ELIMINATE FERAL CAT COLONIES4@
UNDER PREVAILING CONDITIONS IN
MANY FALSE CLAIMS USED TO
SUPPORT THE APPROACH GO
UNCHALLENGED. 4@
UNCHALLENGED. 4@ YOU KNOW WHAT I LEARNED, THIS
IS 4@NOT JUST A HUMANE ISSUE.
IT IS A REALLY BIG
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE. IT IS A HEALTH ISSUE TOO. 4@
A LOT OF COMMUNITIES, NOT JUST
AROUND HERE, BUT ALL ACROSS THE
COUNTRY REALLY ARE 4@NOT EQUIPP
TO4@ DEAL WITH THE COMPLEXITIES
OF THESE FERAL CAT COLONIES. 4@
>> 4@PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY NOT
THE ONLY PLACE IN OUR AREA WITH
THESE CAT COLONIES.