My sincere thanks to Animal Wise Radio hosts Mike Fry and Beth Nelson for having me back on the show—this time to discuss the recent arrest of National Zoo researcher Nico Dauphine on charges of attempted animal cruelty and the Smithsonian’s subsequent reaction.
If you missed it, you can check out the complete show in podcast [...]
Browsing the archives for the Nico Dauphiné tag
20 Jun 11
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Posted in In the News, Vox Felina
Tagged Animal Wise Radio, National Zoo, Nico Dauphiné, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
Tagged Animal Wise Radio, National Zoo, Nico Dauphiné, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
6 Jun 11
Coming up this Wednesday: “Impacts of Free Roaming Cats on Native Wildlife,” a Webinar sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Registration, from what I can tell, appears to be open to the public—though I’m still awaiting a confirmation e-mail (which will include, I hope, some clarification re: time zone for this “2:00–3:00 pm” [...]
2 Jun 11
According to their 2009 Annual Report (the most recent available), Friends Of the National Zoo raised $17.5M in “total support and revenue” during 2009. Of that, $1.4M went to the National Zoo and Smithsonian Institution. But FONZ support doesn’t end there.
Consider the response I received from a FONZ spokesperson when I inquired about their position [...]
31 May 11
As many of you know, the National Zoo has shown no signs of suspending Nico Dauphine, despite her recent arrest on charges of attempted animal cruelty. As a result, at least two petitions are being circulated—one by Alley Cat Rescue, and another by Alley Cat Allies.
I encourage readers to sign both petitions, and also to [...]
25 May 11
Photo from an online application form Nico Dauphine was (until Tuesday) using to hire field assistants, whose duties include “assist[ing] citizen participants in deploying miniature collar-mounted cameras on their free-roaming pet domestic cats.”
Tuesday, while animal welfare organizations across the country were issuing statements condemning the alleged cruelty and urging justice in the case, Nico Dauphine’s [...]
24 May 11
According to the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center, Nico Dauphine’s “current project examines predator-prey dynamics in an urban matrix in collaboration with citizen scientists at Neighborhood Nestwatch.” But according to news stories coming out of the Washington, DC, area this evening, it seems Dauphine may have taken on the role of predator herself.
NBC reports: “Authorities say [...]
19 Mar 11
To hear The Wildlife Society’s staunch opponents of TNR tell it, the media’s just not interested in stories about “the impacts of free-ranging and feral cats on wildlife.”
“This January when thousands of blackbirds fell from the sky in Arkansas, articles about mass extinctions and bird conservation were a dime-a-dozen. When the Deepwater Horizon oil [...]
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Posted in In the News, The Cat Debate, Threats to Wildlife
Tagged Christopher Lepczyk, David Jessup, Feral Cats and Their Management, Melissa Miller, Michael Hutchins, Nico Dauphiné, Pamela Jo Hatley, Robert J. Cooper, Steve Holmer, The Wildlife Professional, The Wildlife Society, Toxoplasma gondii, Travis Longcore
Tagged Christopher Lepczyk, David Jessup, Feral Cats and Their Management, Melissa Miller, Michael Hutchins, Nico Dauphiné, Pamela Jo Hatley, Robert J. Cooper, Steve Holmer, The Wildlife Professional, The Wildlife Society, Toxoplasma gondii, Travis Longcore
1 Mar 11
After a while, I suppose, such things will no longer surprise me.
A couple weeks ago, the American Bird Conservancy released a statement in support of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex Integrated Predator Management Plan/Draft Environmental Assessment proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS):
“American Bird Conservancy, the nation’s leading bird conservation organization, [...]
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Posted in In the News, Policy Issues, Threats to Wildlife
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Feral Cats and Their Management, Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex Integrated Predator Management Plan, Key Largo Woodrat, Lower Keys marsh rabbit, Nico Dauphiné, Steve Holmer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Wisconsin Study
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Feral Cats and Their Management, Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex Integrated Predator Management Plan, Key Largo Woodrat, Lower Keys marsh rabbit, Nico Dauphiné, Steve Holmer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Wisconsin Study
10 Feb 11
Using Google to translate the page’s contents, it seems this bird—despite “mock[ing] the cat and with loud cries of diving at him from the branches of acacia”—was yet another one that got away.
In the third edition of his massive book Ornithology—“the classic text for the undergraduate ornithology course,” according to the description on Amazon.com—Frank Gill [...]
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Posted in Cats and Birds, Threats to Wildlife
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Carolina Raptor Center, Cat Crazed, Cats Indoors!, Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return, Frank B. Gill, Kays and DeWan, Nico Dauphiné, Philip J. Baker, Travis Longcore
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Carolina Raptor Center, Cat Crazed, Cats Indoors!, Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return, Frank B. Gill, Kays and DeWan, Nico Dauphiné, Philip J. Baker, Travis Longcore
5 Jan 11
“Reassessment: A Closer Look at ‘Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return’” has been revised and expanded!
This paper, a brief review and critique of the essay “Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return” by Travis Longcore, Catherine Rich, and Lauren M. Sullivan, now includes sections [...]
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Posted in The Cat Debate, Vox Felina
Tagged Cole Carlson Hawkins, Coleman & Temple, compensatory predation, Conservation Biology, Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return, David A. Jessup, Ellen Perry Berkeley, Gary J. Patronek, Gary Meffe, Kays and DeWan, LASC BS115483, Merritt Clifton, Mike Fitzgerald, Nico Dauphiné, Stanley A. Temple, Toxoplasma gondii, Travis Longcore, Wisconsin Study
Tagged Cole Carlson Hawkins, Coleman & Temple, compensatory predation, Conservation Biology, Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return, David A. Jessup, Ellen Perry Berkeley, Gary J. Patronek, Gary Meffe, Kays and DeWan, LASC BS115483, Merritt Clifton, Mike Fitzgerald, Nico Dauphiné, Stanley A. Temple, Toxoplasma gondii, Travis Longcore, Wisconsin Study
22 Dec 10
Smithsonian magazine is, according to its website, “created for modern, well-rounded individuals with diverse interests” and “chronicles the arts, history, sciences and popular culture of the times.” Jess Righthand’s recent article, “The World’s Worst Invasive Mammals,” seems—despite its inclusion in the online edition’s “Science & Nature” section—better suited for the pop culture category.
Indeed, the story [...]
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Posted in In the News, Public Health Threats, Rabies, The Cat Debate, Toxoplasma
Tagged additive predation, American Bird Conservancy, compensatory predation, David Jessup, Feral Cats and Their Management, Jess Righthand, Merritt Clifton, Nico Dauphiné, One Billion Birds, Peter Marra, Smithsonian Magazine, The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation, Toxoplasma gondii, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Tagged additive predation, American Bird Conservancy, compensatory predation, David Jessup, Feral Cats and Their Management, Jess Righthand, Merritt Clifton, Nico Dauphiné, One Billion Birds, Peter Marra, Smithsonian Magazine, The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation, Toxoplasma gondii, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
13 Dec 10
For years now, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has been promoting erroneous and misleading information in their tireless effort to vilify free-roaming cats. No organization has been more effective at working the anti-TNR pseudoscience into a message neatly packaged for the mainstream media, and eventual consumption by the general public. Speaking to the Wall Street [...]
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Posted in Cats and Birds, In the News
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Animal People, Ascension Island, Christopher Lepczyk, Cole Hawkins, Coleman & Temple, Daniel Lebbin, Feral Cats and Their Management, George Fenwick, Macquarie Island, Marion Island, Merritt Clifton, Michael Parr, Nico Dauphiné, Stephens Island wren, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Wisconsin Study
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Animal People, Ascension Island, Christopher Lepczyk, Cole Hawkins, Coleman & Temple, Daniel Lebbin, Feral Cats and Their Management, George Fenwick, Macquarie Island, Marion Island, Merritt Clifton, Michael Parr, Nico Dauphiné, Stephens Island wren, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Wisconsin Study
8 Nov 10
Perhaps it’s an act of desperation, this “kitchen sink” approach favored by some free-roaming cat/TNR opponents. Throw everything—including the kitchen sink—into the anti-cat argument, and perhaps something will stick. Their impact on wildlife and the environment, for instance, or their threat to public safety—it seems there’s something for everybody. (Surely it’s only a matter of [...]
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Posted in Cats and Birds, Research Protocol, Threats to Wildlife
Tagged American Kestrels, Christopher Lepczyk, Darcee Guttilla, David Jessup, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, James Mosher, Jayna L. DeVore, Kerrie Anne T. Loyd, Nico Dauphiné, Northern Harriers, Paul Stapp, Prairie Voles, Red-tailed Hawks, Robert J. Cooper, Travis Longcore, William G. George
Tagged American Kestrels, Christopher Lepczyk, Darcee Guttilla, David Jessup, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, James Mosher, Jayna L. DeVore, Kerrie Anne T. Loyd, Nico Dauphiné, Northern Harriers, Paul Stapp, Prairie Voles, Red-tailed Hawks, Robert J. Cooper, Travis Longcore, William G. George
22 Oct 10
Another study demonstrates that the majority of pet cats spend their time indoors.
In my previous post on the subject, I somehow overlooked Linda Lord’s paper, “Attitudes toward and perceptions of free-roaming cats among individuals living in Ohio.” [1] In it, Lord, Assistant Professor in Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, presents the results of [...]
26 Sep 10
Results from the American Pet Products Association’s 2009–2010 National Pet Owners Survey suggest that cats in this country are spending more time indoors than ever before. Although the proportion of owners keeping their cats inside at night has remained relatively steady since 1998 (at approximately 66%), their has been a 14% increase in daytime confinement [...]
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Posted in Cats and Birds, In the News
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, American Pet Products Association, birds killed by cats, Cats Indoors!, Christopher Lepczyk, Coleman & Temple, compensatory predation, free-roaming cats, Gary Patronek, Linda Winter, Nico Dauphiné, One Billion Birds, Wisconsin Study
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, American Pet Products Association, birds killed by cats, Cats Indoors!, Christopher Lepczyk, Coleman & Temple, compensatory predation, free-roaming cats, Gary Patronek, Linda Winter, Nico Dauphiné, One Billion Birds, Wisconsin Study
12 Aug 10
Whether the latest iteration of reality TV— Animal Planet’s Confessions: Animal Hoarding—is more education, entertainment, or exploitation is a matter of debate. But it’s a safe bet that by streaming “an unflinchingly honest look at a human condition that affects people and animals” into living rooms across the country, a problem too rarely acknowledged (not [...]
3 Aug 10
Listening to NPR’s On the Media this weekend, I was struck by a story (first broadcast in 2006) about how certain “sticky” numbers—however dubious—find their way into the media landscape and beyond, as On the Media co-host Brooke Gladstone noted:
“Four years ago, we delved into the mysterious number, said to be 50,000, of child predators [...]
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Posted in Cats and Birds, In the News, Population Estimates, Research Protocol
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Audubon Society, birds killed by cats, Churcher & Lawton, Coleman & Temple, Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return, Ellen Perry Berkeley, English village study, Mike Fitzgerald, Nico Dauphiné, One Billion Birds, stray pet advocacy, Wisconsin Study
Tagged American Bird Conservancy, Audubon Society, birds killed by cats, Churcher & Lawton, Coleman & Temple, Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Management of Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return, Ellen Perry Berkeley, English village study, Mike Fitzgerald, Nico Dauphiné, One Billion Birds, stray pet advocacy, Wisconsin Study
4 Jul 10
Although it’s taken me two months to respond, it took less than two weeks for Vox Felina to come under attack by feral cat/TNR opponent Michael Hutchins, CEO and Executive Director of The Wildlife Society. In his post, Hutchins accuses me of trying to “out-science the scientists,” and refers to my critique of the essay [...]
18 Jun 10
According to an AP story posted on MSNBC, city officials in Barre, VT, are considering a leash law for cats—effectively prohibiting them from roaming. Such stories tend to vary only in their specifics; quotes from embattled citizens, and feline references that are more dismissive than clever (e.g., in Barre, the debate “sparked a hissing match”) [...]
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