Park Officials Shot And Killed Homeless Cats And It Can Never Happen Again

Published: December 29, 2020 at 02:30 PM Author: PENNY EIMS

Oakland, California – Recently, officials with the East Bay Regional Park District took part in a deadly campaign to eliminate feral cats in the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline area in California. Park officials were shooting homeless cats in an effort to protect birds, but the program was suspended when area residents learned what was happening.

Shooting homeless cats, rather than working with rescue groups to remove them from the area, is unacceptable. Though the program was suspended after the public learned what was happening, plans must be put in to place to ensure that it NEVER happens again!

Please sign the petition today to let park officials know that the shoot-to-kill policy must never be utilized again.

If not for an ABC 7 I-Teams investigation, the shoot-to-kill program would likely remain in effect. But when people learned what was happening in the area, they demanded that it come to an end.

The investigators learned that the park staff had killed 18 cats in 2020, with 12 in the month of December along the East Oakland waterfront. People who had been working to keep the feral cat population under control were devastated when they found out that park officials had been killing the felines. Cecelia Theis told ABC 7:

“I just hope that they shot them quickly, that they did know what they were doing, and I hope that they didn’t see each other get shot.”

It is horrible to know that these cats were killed when other methods could have been utilized to remedy the issue. Humane traps, and adoption, should have been the go-to method for addressing the homeless cat situation…not “shoot-to-kill.” Please add your name to the petition today – this must never happen again!

News:

ABC 7 News

Final Update: Thanks to everyone who signed the petition and voiced their opinion about the cruel cat killings. We are pleased that the public was able to let park officials know their thoughts about the cruel method that was chosen to control the homeless cat situation. As always, Animal Victory thanks you for your support!

Update 4/19/2021: According to  www.littlebuddythecat.com  David “Doc Quack” Riensche, a senior wildlife biologist with California’s East Bay Regional Park District, issued a disturbing memo about his killing of cats with a 12-gauge shotgun. In the November 2020 memo, Riensche referred to the cats as “party favors,” writing, “I recently cleaned up more than a ‘bakers dozen’ of party favors in this resource protection area. With the conclusion of this wildlife management action, I am seeing some really good birds starting to re-colonize the area with the limiting factors now removed. Have a great week.” 

Update 1/14/2021: Public Affairs for the East Bay Regional District Park sent the following message to Animal Victory:

Thank you for forwarding this petition. We will be sure to pass this along to our management for consideration. There is currently a temporary suspension to some wildlife management practices while we wait for our Board of Directors to reconvene to review policies and procedures related to the matter.

Please feel free to check our website www.ebparks.org for updates.

Update 1/4/2021: Read our letter to East Bay Regional District Park Officials here

Individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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