Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum - View Single Post - Cats, rabbits, birds, and natural balance

BigDon · #5 (**permalink**) 14-January-2009, 05:55 PM

Now Mugs, to counter some of the cynicism in your posts of the last quarter of so, (Portfolio take a hit? A friend of mine assets have dropped from 7 to 2 million in the last four months. He's still quite stunned.) I saw this social slight of hand unfold.

Golden Gate Park. I'm trying to recall the time frame. Ninties? Feral cats are starting to over run the place with all the social woes of a out of control feral cat population. With most being fed like pigeons

No problem, park officials announce plans to trap all the cats and turn them over to the SPCA.

*Wail!* Not the poor kitties! I tell you true Mugs, every "animal lover" from the lowest crazy cat lady with a dozen cats in her cart to the wealthiest cockapoo pandering pooftah came out to say what a social travesty this was and "can't we share the park?"

So while carrying no real authority, the demonstrations just made any attempt to capture the cats unworkable. Seems the mob won. Weeks pass, then a month, then two.

I start getting curious when some of the papers report that Golden Gate Park officials announce the park has a "rat problem" (?! Wait a sec didn't a couple of months ago...) all the nearby wharves and things don't you know.

Horrible, terrible Norway rats (which ARE horrible and terrible BTW. I've seen them go on the attack after being shot in the head with a .32. You'ld think a round that big, even from a pistol, would have decapitated it) that eat babies, molest bag ladys and cause plague!

(Okay, an exageration, gray rats don't spread plague.)

The solution? Let's introduce barn owls to Golden Gate Park! Everybody knows barn owls eat rats! Even big gnarly grey rats that shrug off light pistol rounds! And a poisonless, "green" solution to boot!

I was actually impressed with the number of barn owls introduced. Memory is uncertain so forgive if inaccurate, but I seem to think that around thirty nest boxs were set up. Of course I saw through all the shenanigans right away. And everybody was quiet about everything after that.

Now I shouldn't add this part if I was only looking to ease Mr Mugs mental state. But for completeness I do have to add that months later after certain equilibriums had been reached, the pro-cats group made one brief, "See, we told you so! There wasn't any problem!" press release. I was a bit bemused.