Wonderful songbirds are disappearing all around the world and at an alarming rate! Some of them die due to habitat loss or pesticides but many of them are killed by domestic cats.
In the USA, around 3 billion birds and nearly 7 billion small mammals are killed by cats, both domesticated and feral. Right now is the most vulnerable time for these babies and here are some things you can do to help them.
“Baby Robins in the nest ready to feed” by Bryancalabro is licensed under CC BY 3.0
If you are a cat owner, you know they desperately want outdoor time and are prepared to do anything to escape. They are natural predators and even the most well-fed and lazy cats will hunt small birds and mammals. During spring, many cats spend their whole days laying around and trying to spot their potential meal.
Spring is a dangerous time for many baby birds, rabbits, hares, squirrels, chipmunks, hedgehogs, etc.
Grant Sizemore, Invasive Species Program Director at the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) says: “Spring is an incredibly dangerous time for wildlife because newborn prey don’t have the same physical defenses as their parents and have not fully developed the danger awareness regarding predators that comes with time. Spring is perhaps the single most important time of the year for cat owners to protect wildlife by keeping their cats indoors or under their direct control.”
“Cat eating a house sparrow” by Mark Marek is licensed under CC BY 3.0
Adult birds that see cats wandering nearby often abandon their nests, causing their chicks to starve to death, while fledglings testing out their wings for the first time are easily picked off when they tumble to the ground between flights. Birds that nest on the ground, like mourning doves, are also in danger of being picked off by cats and dogs that are allowed to wander outdoors, as are baby rabbits, hares, squirrels, chipmunks, hedgehogs, and many more.
In order to maintain a healthy and balanced ecosystem, all pet owners should be aware of the harm their cats and dogs can do and try to prevent it.
“Baby rabbits are easy prey for cats” by Wade Simmons is licensed under CC BY 2.0
One thing you can do is to spay or neuter your pet, try to keep them indoors, especially if you see baby birds and mammals hanging around your home, and keep them on leashes if they must go outside.
H/T to inhabitat
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