THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603130520
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Officials in this beachfront community and animal rights activists agreed to hold more discussions to solve problems posed by a growing band of unclaimed wild cats.
``I don't see this as an insurmountable problem,'' Nags Head Police Chief Charles Cameron said before a Tuesday afternoon meeting. ``Personally and professionally, I'm not interested in any proposal that has euthanasia of the animals as an alternative. We want to find the best possible solution for all the parties involved.''
Animal rights activists proposed that volunteers capture the animals, have them spayed, neutered, and vaccinated, and then release them near the Outer Banks Mall where between 85 and 130 cats now gather.
``Feral cats are not the danger that people say they are,'' Kitty Hawk resident Karen LeBlanc said. ``There were only three fatal cases of rabies reported (worldwide) last year, and not one of them was from cats. They came from raccoons.''
LeBlanc provided Cameron with studies which indicate that a sterilization, vaccination and re-release program has significantly reduced feral cat populations in cities like San Francisco, as well as in more rural areas.
``This is not a cat problem,'' she said.``This is a people problem. If you move the cats out of there, they are going to come back.''
Cameron said the town would assist volunteers in capturing the cats, and making sure they are sterilized and vaccinated. However, Nags Head town ordinances prohibit the re-release of feral cats in the town.
``We will be glad to help you capture the cats and get them sterilized and vaccinated,'' Cameron said. ``But under the law of the Town of Nags Head, the re-release of the animals is not permitted.''
Nags Head officials have received a number of complaints about the animals, from mall officials and property owners. Jeff Walton, a 19-year-old landscaper, was bitten by one of the cats two weeks ago. LeBlanc, however said the cats do not attack unless provoked.
Kay Harris Holt, manager of Outer Banks Mall, said merchants are concerned about the safety of employees and shoppers, as well as liability issues.
Pat Marshall, 60, an employee at Seamark Foods, has been feeding the cats for almost a decade. She said moving the cats will not work.
``They've always been there,'' she said. ``They were there before the Village of Nags Head and the mall. If you move them out, they'll just come back.''
While a date for another discussion has not been set, Cameron said he hopes a compromise can be reached.
``I don't see this as lines being drawn in the sand,'' he said. ``We want to work this out in a way that's beneficial to everyone.
Town officials said they would review scientific data and ordinances in other towns, but Town Manager Webb Fuller said any possible solution would not completely satisfy both sides.
``No matter what we do, we're going to make somebody mad,'' Fuller said. ``We see this as a community issue. We want to consider everybody's views in making this decision.'' by CNB