Polish Institute Says Cats Are 'Alien Invasive Species'
2022-07-30
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1A respected Polish scientific institute has classified common house cats as "invasive alien species."
2The institute did this because of the damage cats cause to birds and other wildlife.
3Some cat lovers have reacted emotionally to the decision.
4The strong reactions have put the main scientist behind the decision on the defensive.
5Wojciech Solarz is a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences.
6The academy's Institute of Nature Conservation runs a database of invasive alien species.
7He said he was surprised by the public reaction following the addition of Felis catus in the database.
8Felis catus is the scientific name for the common house cat.
9The database already had 1,786 other species listed with no objections, Solarz told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
10The public anger, he said, may have come from the media.
11Some media reports may have misinformed people that the institute is calling for wild and domestic cats to be killed.
12Solarz described the growing scientific belief that domestic cats harm biodiversity.
13This is because of the number of birds and mammals that cats hunt and kill.
14The criteria for including the cat among alien invasive species, "are 100% met by the cat," he said.
15On a recent television show aired by independent broadcaster TVN, Solarz debated a veterinarian on the issue.
16The veterinarian, or animal doctor, was Dorota Suminska.
17She is the writer of a book called The Happy Cat.
18She challenged Solarz's belief that cats are dangerous to wildlife.
19She pointed to other causes of decreasing biodiversity.
20These causes include a polluted environment and city buildings that can kill birds in flight.
21"Ask if man is on the list of non-invasive alien species," Suminska said.
22She argued that cats were being unfairly blamed.
23Solarz argued that cats kill about 140 million birds in Poland each year.
24The Polish Academy institute published a post on its website seeking to clear up its position on the issue.
25The institute said it was "opposed to any cruelty towards animals."
26It also argued that its classification was in line with European Union guidelines.
27As far as categorizing cats as "alien," the institute noted that Felis catus was domesticated around 10,000 years ago by ancient civilizations in the Middle East.
28That means that cats are not native to Europe from a scientific point of view.
29The institute also suggested that cat owners should limit the time their pets spend outdoors during bird mating season.
30I'm Anna Matteo.
1A respected Polish scientific institute has classified common house cats as "invasive alien species." The institute did this because of the damage cats cause to birds and other wildlife. 2Some cat lovers have reacted emotionally to the decision. The strong reactions have put the main scientist behind the decision on the defensive. 3Wojciech Solarz is a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences. The academy's Institute of Nature Conservation runs a database of invasive alien species. 4He said he was surprised by the public reaction following the addition of Felis catus in the database. Felis catus is the scientific name for the common house cat. 5The database already had 1,786 other species listed with no objections, Solarz told The Associated Press on Tuesday. 6The public anger, he said, may have come from the media. Some media reports may have misinformed people that the institute is calling for wild and domestic cats to be killed. 7Solarz described the growing scientific belief that domestic cats harm biodiversity. This is because of the number of birds and mammals that cats hunt and kill. 8The criteria for including the cat among alien invasive species, "are 100% met by the cat," he said. 9On a recent television show aired by independent broadcaster TVN, Solarz debated a veterinarian on the issue. The veterinarian, or animal doctor, was Dorota Suminska. She is the writer of a book called The Happy Cat. 10She challenged Solarz's belief that cats are dangerous to wildlife. She pointed to other causes of decreasing biodiversity. These causes include a polluted environment and city buildings that can kill birds in flight. 11"Ask if man is on the list of non-invasive alien species," Suminska said. She argued that cats were being unfairly blamed. 12Solarz argued that cats kill about 140 million birds in Poland each year. 13The Polish Academy institute published a post on its website seeking to clear up its position on the issue. The institute said it was "opposed to any cruelty towards animals." It also argued that its classification was in line with European Union guidelines. 14As far as categorizing cats as "alien," the institute noted that Felis catus was domesticated around 10,000 years ago by ancient civilizations in the Middle East. That means that cats are not native to Europe from a scientific point of view. 15The institute also suggested that cat owners should limit the time their pets spend outdoors during bird mating season. 16I'm Anna Matteo. 17Vanessa Gera reported on this story from London for The Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted this story for VOA Learning English. 18_____________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20alien - adj. from another country and not a citizen of the country of residence 21species - n. a group of similar living things that ranks below the genus in scientific classification and is made up of individuals able to produce offspring with one another 22domestic - adj living near or about human habitations : - adj. domesticated 23biodiversity - n. biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals 24criteria - n. a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based 25challenge - v. to confront or defy boldly 26cruelty - n. inhuman treatment 27pet - n. a tame animal kept as a companion rather than for work 28____________________________________________________________________ 29We want to hear from you. What do you think about this story? Do you think cats harm wildlife in your area? 30We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 31Write your comment in the box. 32Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 33Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 34Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.