ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido -- The Haboro town in Hokkaido, one of the nation's leading breeding grounds for rare seabirds, has virtually wiped out stray cats, which are a natural enemy of seabirds, without killing them in the town's Teuri island.
It is the fruit of various efforts by the town, which includes neutering the cats and taming them, according to town officials. The Environment Ministry has praised the efforts as a valuable example of seabird conservation.
The island is located in the Sea of Japan, about 28 kilometers off Hokkaido. It is 12 kilometers in circumference and has a population of about 250. Approximately 1 million sea birds, including the endangered common murre, fly to the island. According to the town, as of 2014, the number of stray cats increased to more than 200 -- and they would attack seabird chicks in nests in rocky areas and grasslands one after another.
In 1992, the town began neutering stray cats and taking other measures to curb their population. In 2012, the town introduced a registration system for pet cats and enacted an ordinance to prohibit the feeding of cats without a good reason. In the autumn of 2014, the town started capturing stray cats, taming them and finding them new homes.
The 130 stray cats caught so far were kept and tamed at the Hokkaido Seabird Center in the town, and 123 were handed over to new owners at adoption meetings held by an animal protection group and on other occasions. "In the last few years, there has been no major information on the sightings of stray cats on the island," a town official said.
The town is staying alert to prevent new stray cats from coming to the island and is planning to hold a meeting next year to report the results of their all-out efforts.
Courtesy of Hokkaido Seabird Center
Black-tailed gulls and their chicks are seen on their breeding grounds on Teuri Island in Hokkaido, where there is no sighting of stray cats lately.
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