Alert: Naval Air Station order cat killings

[Guest guest]

Alert: Naval Air Station order cat killings

 

 

Received from BHGazette 4/27/01 9:18 pm

Urgent! Action Alert from Alley Cat Allies

 

April 23, 2001

 

Your letters and emails are needed to

 

On April 18th, at the order of Commanding Officer,

Captain Stephen A. Turcotte, Ms. Virginia Grogoza was

forcibly removed from her place of employment at NAS-

Jacksonville for feeding outdoor cats and kittens.

NAS-Jacksonville is trying to rid their base of stray

and feral cats by withholding food and hiring a

contractor to trap the cats. The animals will be

relinquished to the local animal control agency.

 

Base commander Captain Turcotte has approved the

lethal operation despite repeated offers from Alley

Cat Allies, base employees, and local activists to

help implement trap-neuter-return (TNR), a nonlethal,

effective alternative to trapping and killing.

Operation Catnip, a spay/neuter clinic for feral cats,

has offered to supply free veterinary care. Time is of

the essence because mother cats are currently nursing

their babies.

 

NAS-Jacksonville maintains that, " many of the cats

taken to animal control are adopted. " However, of the

17,000 dogs and cats that enter the Jacksonville

animal control facility each year, only 1,500 exit

alive. Animal control states that the majority of

animals euthanized are cats, many of whom, like the

NAS cats, are too " wild " for adoption.

 

Your faxes, emails, and phone calls are needed to stop

the killing.

 

Please ask Captain Turcotte of NAS-Jacksonville and

Commander, Navy Region Southeast, Rear Admiral Gaudio,

to stop the killing of cats on base and adopt

trap-neuter-return (TNR) to control the population.

 

Capt. Stephen A. Turcotte

Box 102, Bldg 1

NAS Jacksonville, FL 32212-0102

Tel: 904.542.2334

Fax: 904.542.2831

turcottest

 

Rear Admiral Jan C. Gaudio

Commander

Navy Region Southeast

Building 1

NAS Jacksonville, FL 32212-0102

Tel: 904.542.2324

Fax: 904.542.2413

doughertyb

 

FYI: ACA has been in contact with personnel from

NAS-Jacksonville since February 22, 2001. On March 29,

2001, ACA was informed that Commanding Officer,

Captain Turcotte, was in favor of trap-neuter-return

(TNR) to control the stray and feral cat population

and that he had instructed his staff to implement the

program on base. A campaign manager at ACA was

assigned a Point of Contact (POC) and discussions were

underway to recruit volunteers and raise funds. ACA

was told by the Commanding Officer that a moratorium

had been placed on feeding bans and trap and kill

schemes.

 

Then on April 9, 2001, Captain Turcotte issued a

warning letter to Ms. Grogoza directing her to cease

feeding the cats and outlining the contract he issued

for trapping and killing the outdoor cats.

Instructions were made to: " Modify current contract or

obtain additional contract services to include

catching with a catchpole and requirement for

contractor personnel involved in animal control to be

properly vaccinated and certified with a dart gun. "

Officials have failed to take into account the fact

that their actions will result in nursing kittens

starving when their mothers are removed.

 

Other military bases and municipalities are using TNR

because it is more effective than trapping and

removing. " Captain Turcotte could be following the

lead of Norfolk Navy Shipyard that has a pilot TNR

program in place, " stated Becky Robinson, Alley Cat

Allies' National Director. " TNR has already been used

on a small scale at NAS-Jacksonville and could easily

be implemented on the entire base. "

 

" Periodic efforts to round up and remove cats

typically fail because other cats migrate in to take

advantage of the vacated food sources and shelter, "

said Dr. Julie Levy, who runs Operation Catnip, and

who has offered her groups services to

NAS-Jacksonville free of charge.

 

Many base employees are eager and willing to begin a

humane process to reduce the feline population, but

fear losing their jobs or being arrested. If Ginny is

found on military property during the next two weeks,

she could face a six-month prison term, a $500 fine,

or both.

 

 

 

=====

How Much Cruelty Can You Stomach.

http://www.MurderKing.com

 

Help Save A Stray

http://www.saveastray.com

 

 

 

Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices

http://auctions./