East Bay Parks Says It Won’t Shoot & Kill Cats Anymore

ABC7 recently reported that, thankfully, the East Bay Regional Parks District will stop shooting its feral cats.

ABC7’s I-Team had initially investigated a little-known policy that allowed the park staff to shoot and kill cats that pose a threat to wildlife. The East Bay Regional Park staff had enacted this policy when several of the feral cats wandered into the nearby marsh.

Concerned county worker Cecelia Theis had been caring for the cats. She had the adults spayed and neutered, and found homes for the kittens. She stabilized the colony at 30 cats and has been working to trap the cats and find them new homes.

The department admitted to ABC7’s investigation that they’ve killed 12 cats near the marsh this past month, and an additional 6 more in other parts of the district over the past year to try and protect the thousands of birds that feed in the marshland, including the endangered Clapper Rail.

Thankfully, since ABC7’s initial investigation, the department has stated they have suspended shooting the cats and will work with rescue groups so they can protect the endangered species without shooting anymore cats.

If you’d like to adopt one of the rescued cats (or another adorable animal friend), four of the cats will be up for adoption at The Marin Humane Society

ABC7 news story: I-TEAM: East Bay Regional Park Dist. staff admit to shooting cats, policy sparks controversy

ABC7 news story: East Bay Regional Parks suspends shooting cats after I-Team investigation