Experts from the Nature Conservation Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences recently concluded that cats – many people’s pets – are a “peculiar invasive species”, arguing that this classification is due to “the effects that cats have on the population”. and other animals.”
According to APNews, the conclusion trumps the consensus of the scientific community, revealing that domestic cats “prey and kill large numbers of birds and small mammals.” Wojciech Solarz, the biologist responsible for introducing domestic cats to the list of invasive species of the scientific institute, says that the cats conform “100%” to the behavioral criteria, despite being the target of severe criticism from the Polish population. This defines an invasive species.
Veterinarian Dorota Suminska, who participated in the televised debate facing the biologist, notes that “the decrease in biodiversity must be due to pollution and buildings, in front of which many birds crash and die.” In addition, Suminska believes that humans also “meet all the criteria to be considered an invasive species, but they are not on this list.”
In an effort to defuse the controversy, the Polish Institute for Nature Conservation publicly explained that it opposes “any cruelty against animals” and “must not classify the cat as an invasive alien species,” according to the German newspaper. Encourage mistreatment against this race. The agency also said the domestic cat was considered an “exotic” breed, imported to Europe from the Middle East about 10,000 years ago. Therefore, the species is considered exotic “from a purely scientific point of view”.
Wojciech Solarz advises cat owners to reduce the amount of time they spend outdoors to reduce impacts on other species’ populations, “especially during the breeding season of birds.”
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