(CNS): The Department of Environment’s effort to control invasive species and the growing detrimental impact on endemic and local species have met with a significant amount of misinformation recently, especially on social media. The rollout of the alien species regulations that provide a lawful, clear platform for the control of feral animals and protection of threatened birds, iguanas and other unique flora and flora has fuelled a backlash of anger based largely on misunderstandings.

Feral cats, rats, green iguanas and chickens that were once pets or domesticated but at some point were released into the wild, as well as imported plants, are directly threatening many of Cayman’s endemic, unique flora and fauna. Fred Burton, the director of the DoE Terrestrial Resource Unit, said it is hard to think of a single native species here that isn’t partially at risk from alien species — the second biggest threat to biodiversity globally.

Burton said the DoE is not taking away anyone’s pets and it is ridiculous to suggest that their researchers will be trapping domestic cats in private yards.

“There are so many threats and pressures on our native wildlife. It is a bit bewildering, really, as we are dealing with massive loss of habitat as the islands develop and we are dealing with big global issues like climate change… that could have really complicated impacts on our native ecosystems. But alien species are the number two threat globally,” he said Friday during an appearance on Radio Cayman’s For the Record.

John Bothwell, the manager of the DoE’s Legislation Implementation and Coordination Unit and the secretary of the National Conservation Council, explained that the new rules are not just about feral cats but all invasive species, from green iguanas to Brazillian pepper trees. He said that Cayman has had a long history of challenges with alien species but has not had the legal framework required to deal with them. However, these regulations provide the necessary tools for the DoE to better protect native wildlife from multiple threats.

“Around the world and here in Cayman, alien species have a huge impact on natives species,” Bothwell said. Implementing the regulations was “another step” in the progression, he said, noting previous efforts to control green iguanas and the need for a comprehensive way of dealing with the issues. “It’s an extension of the long-term commitment we have to properly and effectively manage alien species.”

Burton explained that previously the legal framework was weak, but these new rules help frame a way of controlling feral alien animals — not people’s pets, a misconception now being promoted on social media. He said feral cats are living on what they can catch in the wild, eating chicks, lizards or anything they get their paws on. These feral animals are posing a threat to iconic nesting sea birds as well as the unique iguanas on all three islands.

Burton said there was significant CCTV evidence that cats are causing the death of many hatchlings and chicks of protected sea birds. Although this does include domestic cats that are allowed to roam outside, they are not under threat from the current trapping project. However, he urged pet owners to keep their cats inside because no matter how well fed a pet cat might be, it will still instinctively hunt chicks and other small animals.

In a recent social media post, officials from the DoE confirmed that the adult brown booby bird and chick found dead on the southwest of Cayman Brac on Sunday, 15 January, were victims of a cat. A necropsy performed by a qualified veterinarian found the adult had compound fractures and a broken wing. Both the adult and chick had 14mm puncture wounds consistent with cats’ teeth.

“The spacing of the puncture wounds is too narrow to have been made by a dog’s teeth. The wounds also do not match the teeth pattern of a Sister Islands rock iguana, nor do they resemble wounds made by any bird of prey,” the vet confirmed.

Cats are nocturnal hunters, and while the DoE may not always catch them in the act, there is significant footage showing cats killing endemic species going back many years. Culling animals is a last resort for the DoE. But with so much evidence that cats are one of the biggest threats to local biodiversity and no solutions proposed to trap, spay or neuter feral cats and then rehabilitate them into domestic situations where they are kept away from all birds, there is no alternative if Cayman is to protect its unique wildlife.

Burton said it was no longer possible to ignore the threats that Cayman’s native animals face, even if the current control programme makes people uncomfortable. He explained that the DoE is in the process of an island-wide programme to trap feral cats on Little Cayman, with the support of residents. These animals are all being checked for microchips or registration and confirmed as being feral before they are handed over to the Department of Agriculture.

There is also a targeted control programme underway in a very limited area of the Brac around the Lighthouse and a small pocket on the south side as a result of the massive loss of boobies, Burton explained.

Despite the misinformation circulating on social media, no poison is being used, though some boxes are being used for bait to attract rats that are also being trapped. “All we are doing is putting a ring of traps around the booby nests,” Burton said, as he outlined the trapping programme on the Brac. He said this was a purely protective project. They don’t expect to catch a huge number but are trying to keep the cats away from the nesting area.

The problem of feral cats as well as domestic animals is a global problem and not unique to the Cayman Islands. Outdoor cats are a threat to global biodiversity and have contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals and reptiles in the wild. The ecological dangers are so critical that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in its publication, “100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species”, includes domestic cats on the list.

Predation by domestic cats is the number-one direct, human-caused threat to birds in the United States and Canada. In the United States alone, outdoor cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year, according to the American Bird Conservancy.

See the new local regulations on the NCC website here.

See Burton and Bothwell on FTR below:

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