In Cyprus, the number of wild cats is equal to the number of inhabitants of the island

In Cyprus, the number of wild cats has reached a record high — according to local authorities, the island has almost one cat for every one of its million inhabitants. This was reported by the Associated Press on October 14.

According to Cyprus Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou, the existing sterilization program cannot cope with the scale of the problem. Currently, about 2 thousand procedures are performed per year with a budget of only 100 thousand euros.

"This is a good program, but it needs to be expanded," the official said.

According to her, at the current rate of population growth, the situation may get out of control.

Activists claim that the actual number of cats may exceed official estimates by hundreds of thousands. They urge the authorities to expand funding and introduce mandatory sterilization measures to prevent a threat to local ecosystems.

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Earlier, on July 27, it was reported that on the Japanese island of Mikura, the population of striped petrels decreased from 3.5 million to 100 thousand individuals due to hunting by feral cats. According to researchers, one cat can destroy up to 330 birds per year, which has led to a sharp decline in the number of rare species.

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