Cats and Birds information on net.

The Chief of the Environmental Ministry's Okinawa Conservation Office announced the Ministry's plan to add feral cats as a target in the ongoing invasive species eradication campaign to save endangered species.2 The project aimed to trap feral cats and mongoose in the jungles of the Yanbaru area on Okinawa Island.3 Mongooses would be euthanized immediately, but cats would be impounded for four days to encourage adoption.4 Cats not adopted within the four-day waiting period would then be euthanized.5 This announcement provoked an outcry from animal rights advocates and led to a controversy among conservationists. This issue raises several legal issues worthy of discussion, including the lack of legal measures for cat management and the treatment of life in invasive species eradication. Part II of this note reviews the controversy over feral cat eradication in Japan. Part III explores the cultural considerations that have caused the controversy, as these cultural tendencies are central to any discussion of a society's legal attitude toward animals. Part IV investigates legal issues relating to feral cat control in Japan, and Part V undertakes a comparative study with American and Australian laws. Finally, Part VI analyzes the results and makes recommendations for feral cat control in Japan as well as in other countries.