Should Korea cull stray cats to save birds?
As debate intensified over a YouTuber's campaign to ban the feeding of stray cats and reduce their population through culling, Choe Jae-chun, a chair professor at Ewha Womans University and one of Korea's leading ecologists, publicly rejected the proposal. Choe warned that the campaign lacks academic evidence applicable to Korea's ecosystem, making it impossible to conclude that reducing the…
A YouTube campaign to ban the feeding of stray cats and reduce their numbers by culling has sparked intense debate in South Korea. Choe Jae-chun, a prominent ecologist and professor at Ewha Womans University, has strongly criticized the initiative. He warned that the proposal lacks scientific evidence to support its claims that culling stray cats helps protect endangered bird species or improve the environment.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Choe acknowledged that the government should address the issue following a petition seeking to ban feeding of stray cats, which has garnered over 50,000 signatures. He also noted the existence of a counter-petition with more than 50,000 signatures opposing the ban. The YouTube user behind the campaign, Korean Birder, submitted the petition on July 10.
The petitioner argues that stray cats pose a threat to bird species designated as natural monuments under Korea's heritage protection system. They claim that trap-neuter-return programs, or TNR, should be replaced with culling to safeguard these birds.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Should Korea cull stray cats to save birds? koreatimes.co.kr
