Ecologistas en Acción has filed a complaint with Seprona and the Biodiversity area of the Government of the Canary Islands against "the campaign to capture, sterilize and release feral cats" that has been carried out in recent months in La Graciosa and Caleta de Famara.
The environmental group points out that this action, authorized and financed by the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the City Council of Teguise, "violates the most relevant environmental regulations." Specifically, "the Natural Heritage Law, in its article 54, states that administrations are prohibited from releasing domestic animals, such as cats, into the natural environment and that their first obligation is to conserve the biodiversity that lives in the wild."
The environmental association recalls that the duty of the competent administrations, which includes the Island Council and the City Councils, is to "relocate the captured cats in protected areas to a specialized center or give them up for responsible adoption, complying with the obligation to preserve the welfare of community cats," says the environmental group. However, they point out that "returning them to a Natural Park, as is the entire island of La Graciosa, is illegal."
Ecologistas en Acción indicates that "it is an irrefutable fact" that the presence of cat colonies in protected areas causes "serious impacts on the wild fauna that inhabits natural ecosystems given that their natural character is predatory."
At this point, it relies on a study by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), which reveals that "feral cats are one of the most harmful invasive species for vertebrate communities (reptiles and birds), especially in the Canary Islands, where they have contributed to the extinction of at least "14% of extinct vertebrates and now threatens the survival of 8% of bird, mammal and reptile species listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)."
The environmental group adds "the special importance of coastal protected areas, such as La Graciosa and Caleta de Famara, as they constitute an important step in the migrations of numerous species of birds." In addition, they point out that the presence of cats in them can cause "interference in these migrations, reducing the time of rest and feeding necessary to continue their journey, as well as in their reproductive behavior."
