OAKLAND — After getting heat for shooting 13 cats in a nature preserve, East Bay Regional Park District will likely work more closely with feline rescue groups to trap and remove the cats, but is not ruling out lethal force if necessary.
The district’s Natural and Cultural Resources Committee unanimously agreed at its meeting Thursday afternoon to pass the “Free-Roaming Cat Management Policy” to the full board at a later unknown date.
The policy states, however, that the district itself will no longer be responsible for the killing of the cats — but will likely use an outside agency, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s animal and wildlife service if needed.
East Bay Regional Parks confirmed its employees shot and killed 13 cats, part of an “out-of-control” colony in November 2020 that were threatening protected and endangered wildlife along the Oakland shoreline.
About 30 “free roaming” cats (feral or previously domesticated cats) were living at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, a sensitive ecological area with hundreds of bird species, some of which are at risk or endangered (such as the Ridgway’s rail, California black rail, burrowing owls and least terns), plus the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse, according to the district.
The cat killings sparked a large public reaction: An online petition gathered nearly 70,000 signatures seeking a stop to the shootings.
After such huge outrage, the district’s general manager suspended staff authority to shoot the cats in December, and called for a review of the district’s program.
Cat supporters throughout the Bay Area and even out of state, called on the district to remove the use of lethal removal completely from its policy.
“We can’t shoot our way out of this,” said Holly Cuciz, of Brentwood, who helped organize a foundation against euthanizing animals. “Ultimately, it does not work.”
Nara Dahlbacka, who is on the board of Cat Town Oakland, said she was encouraged by the district’s response so far. “We would hope the district would consider potential moving further away, to not use lethal mode of control if at all possible.”
Animal rescue activist Cecelia Theis told this newspaper in December she was shocked to find out that some of the cats were shot and killed in November 2020, saying it was before she and others had an opportunity to trap them and find them new homes. The park district contends that, before workers took action, Theis was told that she needed to move the colony of cats and stop feeding them.
At Thursday’s meeting, she spoke out, at points her voice breaking on the verge of tears.
“It just hurts that no one contacted me to investigate this,” she said. “I need to know what really happened with my cats. They were really important to me. I hate reading they were hunted.”
The new policy also calls on the district to work closely with local animal agencies, and inform them when the district would be close to considering lethal removal as a last resort. It also calls for more education and signage on not feeding feral cats, and dumping unwanted cats at district parks.
The district has had a problem with people feeding the cats as well. As recently as just a few weeks ago, food for the cats was removed by the park district by 11 p.m., but by 5 a.m. the next day, more food had been placed out, according to Kristina Kelchner, assistant general manager at the parks district.
“If cats can be trapped, then we have a solved problem,” Kelchner said.
Some local animal services agencies, such as the Oakland Animal Services, and others from Berkeley, Fremont and Hayward, support the proposed policy. Oakland Animal Services Director Ann Dunn said as of a few days ago, they were working with the district to trap some of those cats at the MLK park.
In a letter sent to the district, and read during Thursday’s meeting, directors of various animal agencies asked that if the cats had to be euthanized on the field, the district comply with the American Veterinary Medical Association standards; this would require them to be brought to shelter to be checked for microchips.
But Commissioner Colin Coffey pointed out that since the district wouldn’t be killing the cats, it would be up to other state or federal agencies to determine how to do that.
According to the district staff report, cats are known to play with their prey, and will capture animals even if they aren’t hungry. The district contends this makes the endangered species that live in the parks especially vulnerable.
“Outdoors, this means that any cat, even those that are well-fed and cared for, can kill native amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals,” the report stated.
