Biologist from the Polish National Academy of Sciences Wojciech Solarz was unprepared for the public reaction when he announced that the domestic cat was an “invasive alien species” in Poland.
The database already had another 1,786 species included without any objection, according to the
Associated Press .
.
But the entry of these felines on the black list, last July, has raised great controversy in the country.
So much so that Solarz has had to go on television to explain the decision and the Polish Academy of Sciences has published an article citing the damage cats cause to birds and other wildlife.
A study by the Warsaw University of Biological Sciences estimated in 2019 that domestic cats kill about 583 million small mammals and 135 million birds a year in Poland.
the
happy catus
It was probably domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the cradle of the great civilizations of the ancient Middle East, explains the Polish academy in its writing, which makes the species alien to Europe from a strictly scientific point of view.
The institute stresses that "it opposes any kind of cruelty to animals."
It also argues that its classification was in accordance with the guidelines of the European Union.
The common cat was not included in the list of invasive alien species that represent a threat to the EU, in EU Regulation 1143/2014;
But this is not because the cat is not a problem for the local fauna, but simply because there are too many of them.
“Due to the massive presence of this species in domestic farming and in the natural environment,
Already in 2011, an international study led by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) assured that feral cats are "one of the most pernicious invasive species for vertebrate communities on islands".
Throughout history, its action in these environments has contributed to the extinction of at least 14% of extinct vertebrates, assured the researcher from the CSIC's Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology, Manuel Nogales.
Since the domestication of the African wild cat some 9,000 years ago, man has widely dispersed this species, which has established feral populations throughout the world, even in the most remote archipelagos, where its presence is especially harmful.
An example: at the end of the 19th century,
Tibbles
, caused the disappearance of a species endemic to the place: the bird
Xenicus lyalli
.
Feral cats hunt wild prey, even when fed, which has an impact on other species.
The problem goes beyond Poland.
According to the study led by Dr. Nogales, feral cats have already caused the extinction of 33 animal species.
They also threaten 8% of species listed as critically endangered globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The inclusion of cats in the list of Polish invasive species has galvanized a debate that had been away from the general public for some time.
Dr. Solarz has tried to quell public discontent with data.
A discontent, the scientist ventured, which could be due to the fact that some media gave the false impression that his institute was asking for the euthanasia of wild cats.
The expert stressed that the only thing he recommended was that cat owners limit the time their pets spend outdoors during the bird-breeding season.
"I have a dog, but I have nothing against cats," Solarz said.