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Save the Cats at JFK
Only months after public outrage over Michael Vicks extra curricular dog fighting activities, protests from animal rights activists and animal lovers across the country are in the news again this time for mans other best friend - the cat. Not the sleek creatures that grace the foot of our beds or spend their days chasing our dust bunnies. These protests are for feral cats - the wayward, hiding in your bushes, homeless stray cats.
Last week a story unfolded about the NY/ NJ Port Authority plans to round up all the cats taking up residence at JFK in an effort to deter birds that present hazards to airplanes. When questioned about the fate of the evicted felines, PA spokesman, Pasquale DiFulco, assured the public, "They will be in a safe place until they can be turned over to the proper authorities. What he failed to say is that these cats would be placed in Animal Care and Control of New York City - a death sentence for feral cats which are typically unadoptable. The PA even went as far as to lie to citizens who called in concerned, reassuring callers that the cats would be put up for adoption and found good homes. The problem it seems wasn’t that people were asking the wrong questions, they were asking the wrong people. A call to Animal Care and Control of New York City confirmed the public's fears when a spokesperson for the agency readily admitted that most of the cats would be euthanized when they are brought in. Despite public outrage, Port Authority exterminators trapped 17 cats this week which were brought to animal control with more on the way. The vast majority of the cats would have been quickly euthanized if not for the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, and the assistance of Animal Care & Control of NYC rescuers who have been able to save all the victims to date.
The Issues:
The Port Authority wants the cats out of JFK but has refused and continues to refuse help from animal organizations to reach a humane solution for addressing the situation.
The Port Authority believes it can achieve a cat free environment through removal and extermination. JFK is a typical environment for feral cats due largely to the fact that many cats are lost or abandon in travel. Studies show that removing feral cats from a territory only opens up the door for new cats to enter that territory. Without TNR those cats will continue to reproduce. Before long a new colony will inhabit the territory and their numbers will grow rapidly with out reproductive sterilization.
The Port Authority has gone as far as to lie to the public. Not only has the Port Authority lied to the public about the fate of these cats but they have deceived the public regarding the imminent danger these cats present to travelers. In an attempt to instill fear in the minds of the public the Port Authority has stated that the cats attract birds which interfere with airplanes. The fact is that the cats in question are miles from the runway and the birds are present because JFK is near the ocean and has been a migration route for these birds for years.
What You Can Do:
If you are apposed to the Port Authority actions and disregard for animal welfare please let your opinion be heard.
Speak your mind to these media outlets. These papers and news channels are covering the story and want to hear from you.
NY1 is running a snap poll on the issue of the feral cats at JFK.
Please vote for the "Neuter and re-release" option:
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/Polls/index.jsp?pollactivequestionintid=3028
Please take a minute and vote. The PA will be looking at the results.
Metro: Cat fight at JFKhttp://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Cat_fight_at_JFK/10534.html Submit letters at: http://ny.metro.us/metro/yourturn
amNew York: JFK feral cats facing deathhttp://www.amny.com/news/local/am-cats1030,0,7665187.story Email letters to: am-letters@am-ny.com mailto:am-letters@am-ny.com
NYTimes.com CityRoom: Cat People Confront Airport People http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/cat-people-confront-airport-people/ post comment on site
Gothamist : Rally Against Port Authority’s JFK Cat Roundup Today http://gothamist.com/2007/10/29/rally_against_p.php post comment on site
NY Post: No Paws in JFK Cat Hunthttp://www.nypost.com/seven/10302007/news/regionalnews/no_paws_in_jfk_cat_hunt.htm Submit your letter at: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/letters_editor.htm
Newsday: Kennedy Airport feral cat roundup draws criticism http://www.newsday.com/news/local/transportation/ny-nycats305438287oct30,0,2536534.story post comment on site
Contact Government Agencies
Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman, Board of CommisionersPort Authority of New York and New JerseyPhone: 732.846.2120 (direct line)732-846-7600 (this is the general number for Mr. Coscia’s law firm)Fax: 732.846.8877E-Mail: acoscia@windelsmarx.com mailto:acoscia@windelsmarx.com
Robert E. Wan Etten, Inspector GeneralPort Authority of New York and New JerseyMain Office: (973) 565-434024-Hour Pager: (917) 788-6277FAX: (973) 565-4307Email: InspectorGeneral@panynj.gov mailto:InspectorGeneral@panynj.gov
T
he Honorable Eliot Spitzer, Governor, New York212-681-4580 (phone)518-474-1513 (Fax)
Website: go to www.ny.gov http://www.ny.gov and click on "contact us" at the bottom of the pageEmail: http://161.11.121.121/govemail
The Honorable John Corzine, Governor, New Jersey609-292-6000 (phone)Email: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html
The Honorable David Patterson, Lieutenant Governor, New York518-474-4623Email: Ltgovernor.correspondence@chamber.state.ny.us mailto:Ltgovernor.correspondence@chamber.state.ny.us
Port Authority Corporate Headquarters(212) 435-7000(212) 435-7777
Susan Baer, General Manager, JFK Airport718-244-3501sbaer@panynj.gov mailto:sbaer@panynj.gov
Laura Francoeur, Airport Operations, JFK AirportPhone: 718-244-3773Fax: 718-244-3777lfrancoe@panynj.gov mailto:lfrancoe@panynj.gov
Finally send this news story to every cat lover you know. The more people that respond the better chance we have saving cats from senseless killing.
Talking Points:
Remind them that the caretakers are a valuable resource to THEM...they are spending their own time and money to address a problem they didn't create. Letting rescue groups TNR won't cost them a penny. Without TNR, they will have to budget money to have trappers constantly canvas the airport Plus spend money to have the cats killed.
Bring up the fact that with their other security burdens the last thing they need to be devoting limited resources to is cats. The gulls will certainly not disappear if the cats do, as anyone who has been anywhere near a beach or garbage dump can attest!
The officials should be reinforcing the efforts of these people...canceling the money they are now using for trappers and instead assisting caretakers in the altering of new *dumpers*. By collaborating with animal organizations towards a humane solution the numbers can be decreased humanely. Any security available should be directed toward enforcing *no dump* regulations.
Killing these cats is irresponsible government when there are humane, effective solutions available.
You can't wipe out the presence of feral cats in a 5000 acre area in which new, unneutered cats are constantly being abandoned or lost and then reproducing, and where there are plentiful food sources. Only Trap-Neuter-Return can, over time, reduce the numbers. The Port Authority's extermination effort is futile and will only result in new furry faces, not fewer. The killing is senseless.
Only months after public outrage over Michael Vicks extra curricular dog fighting activities, protests from animal rights activists and animal lovers across the country are in the news again this time for mans other best friend - the cat. Not the sleek creatures that grace the foot of our beds or spend their days chasing our dust bunnies. These protests are for feral cats - the wayward, hiding in your bushes, homeless stray cats.
Last week a story unfolded about the NY/ NJ Port Authority plans to round up all the cats taking up residence at JFK in an effort to deter birds that present hazards to airplanes. When questioned about the fate of the evicted felines, PA spokesman, Pasquale DiFulco, assured the public, "They will be in a safe place until they can be turned over to the proper authorities. What he failed to say is that these cats would be placed in Animal Care and Control of New York City - a death sentence for feral cats which are typically unadoptable. The PA even went as far as to lie to citizens who called in concerned, reassuring callers that the cats would be put up for adoption and found good homes. The problem it seems wasn’t that people were asking the wrong questions, they were asking the wrong people. A call to Animal Care and Control of New York City confirmed the public's fears when a spokesperson for the agency readily admitted that most of the cats would be euthanized when they are brought in. Despite public outrage, Port Authority exterminators trapped 17 cats this week which were brought to animal control with more on the way. The vast majority of the cats would have been quickly euthanized if not for the NYC Feral Cat Initiative, a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, and the assistance of Animal Care & Control of NYC rescuers who have been able to save all the victims to date.
The Issues:
The Port Authority wants the cats out of JFK but has refused and continues to refuse help from animal organizations to reach a humane solution for addressing the situation.
The Port Authority believes it can achieve a cat free environment through removal and extermination. JFK is a typical environment for feral cats due largely to the fact that many cats are lost or abandon in travel. Studies show that removing feral cats from a territory only opens up the door for new cats to enter that territory. Without TNR those cats will continue to reproduce. Before long a new colony will inhabit the territory and their numbers will grow rapidly with out reproductive sterilization.
The Port Authority has gone as far as to lie to the public. Not only has the Port Authority lied to the public about the fate of these cats but they have deceived the public regarding the imminent danger these cats present to travelers. In an attempt to instill fear in the minds of the public the Port Authority has stated that the cats attract birds which interfere with airplanes. The fact is that the cats in question are miles from the runway and the birds are present because JFK is near the ocean and has been a migration route for these birds for years.
What You Can Do:
If you are apposed to the Port Authority actions and disregard for animal welfare please let your opinion be heard.
Speak your mind to these media outlets. These papers and news channels are covering the story and want to hear from you.
NY1 is running a snap poll on the issue of the feral cats at JFK.
Please vote for the "Neuter and re-release" option:
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/Polls/index.jsp?pollactivequestionintid=3028
Please take a minute and vote. The PA will be looking at the results.
Metro: Cat fight at JFKhttp://ny.metro.us/metro/local/article/Cat_fight_at_JFK/10534.html Submit letters at: http://ny.metro.us/metro/yourturn
amNew York: JFK feral cats facing deathhttp://www.amny.com/news/local/am-cats1030,0,7665187.story Email letters to: am-letters@am-ny.com mailto:am-letters@am-ny.com
NYTimes.com CityRoom: Cat People Confront Airport People http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/cat-people-confront-airport-people/ post comment on site
Gothamist : Rally Against Port Authority’s JFK Cat Roundup Today http://gothamist.com/2007/10/29/rally_against_p.php post comment on site
NY Post: No Paws in JFK Cat Hunthttp://www.nypost.com/seven/10302007/news/regionalnews/no_paws_in_jfk_cat_hunt.htm Submit your letter at: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/letters_editor.htm
Newsday: Kennedy Airport feral cat roundup draws criticism http://www.newsday.com/news/local/transportation/ny-nycats305438287oct30,0,2536534.story post comment on site
Contact Government Agencies
Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman, Board of CommisionersPort Authority of New York and New JerseyPhone: 732.846.2120 (direct line)732-846-7600 (this is the general number for Mr. Coscia’s law firm)Fax: 732.846.8877E-Mail: acoscia@windelsmarx.com mailto:acoscia@windelsmarx.com
Robert E. Wan Etten, Inspector GeneralPort Authority of New York and New JerseyMain Office: (973) 565-434024-Hour Pager: (917) 788-6277FAX: (973) 565-4307Email: InspectorGeneral@panynj.gov mailto:InspectorGeneral@panynj.gov
T
he Honorable Eliot Spitzer, Governor, New York212-681-4580 (phone)518-474-1513 (Fax)
Website: go to www.ny.gov http://www.ny.gov and click on "contact us" at the bottom of the pageEmail: http://161.11.121.121/govemail
The Honorable John Corzine, Governor, New Jersey609-292-6000 (phone)Email: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html
The Honorable David Patterson, Lieutenant Governor, New York518-474-4623Email: Ltgovernor.correspondence@chamber.state.ny.us mailto:Ltgovernor.correspondence@chamber.state.ny.us
Port Authority Corporate Headquarters(212) 435-7000(212) 435-7777
Susan Baer, General Manager, JFK Airport718-244-3501sbaer@panynj.gov mailto:sbaer@panynj.gov
Laura Francoeur, Airport Operations, JFK AirportPhone: 718-244-3773Fax: 718-244-3777lfrancoe@panynj.gov mailto:lfrancoe@panynj.gov
Finally send this news story to every cat lover you know. The more people that respond the better chance we have saving cats from senseless killing.
Talking Points:
Remind them that the caretakers are a valuable resource to THEM...they are spending their own time and money to address a problem they didn't create. Letting rescue groups TNR won't cost them a penny. Without TNR, they will have to budget money to have trappers constantly canvas the airport Plus spend money to have the cats killed.
Bring up the fact that with their other security burdens the last thing they need to be devoting limited resources to is cats. The gulls will certainly not disappear if the cats do, as anyone who has been anywhere near a beach or garbage dump can attest!
The officials should be reinforcing the efforts of these people...canceling the money they are now using for trappers and instead assisting caretakers in the altering of new *dumpers*. By collaborating with animal organizations towards a humane solution the numbers can be decreased humanely. Any security available should be directed toward enforcing *no dump* regulations.
Killing these cats is irresponsible government when there are humane, effective solutions available.
You can't wipe out the presence of feral cats in a 5000 acre area in which new, unneutered cats are constantly being abandoned or lost and then reproducing, and where there are plentiful food sources. Only Trap-Neuter-Return can, over time, reduce the numbers. The Port Authority's extermination effort is futile and will only result in new furry faces, not fewer. The killing is senseless.