Should Korea cull stray cats to save birds?

A fierce debate has erupted in South Korea over a YouTuber's campaign to ban the feeding of stray cats and reduce their numbers through culling. Ecologist and Ewha Womans University professor Choe Jae-chun has strongly opposed the idea, warning that there is no academic evidence supporting the notion that culling stray cats in Korea's ecosystem would protect endangered species or improve the environment.

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel on Thursday, Choe explained why the campaign lacks scientific merit. He stated that the government now needs to address the issue after a petition, dubbed the "Cat Mom Ban Law," and a counter-petition opposing it have both garnered more than 50,000 signatures each. The YouTuber who initiated the campaign, Korean Birder, filed the petition on July 10, proposing that residents should no longer feed stray cats.

Choe argued that the proposal to ban feeding stray cats would be replaced by culling if the ban were enacted. He contended that the campaign overlooks the fact that trap-neuter-return programs, or TNR, are currently in place to manage the stray cat population. Choe insisted that culling stray cats is not a viable solution and would not effectively preserve endangered bird species protected under Korea's heritage protection system.