Agency Aims to Remove Stray Cats from Puerto Rico's Historic Fortress
2023-12-07
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The US National Park Service recently announced a plan to remove hundreds of stray cats that wander historic Old San Juan on the island of Puerto Rico.
2Local people and tourists consider the cats a joy, but some are bothered by them while others worry about disease.
3There are about 200 cats that live on about 30 hectares surrounding the old fortress at the San Juan Historic Site.
4The U.S. federal agency operates the site because Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States.
5The park service said it will pay an animal welfare organization to remove the cats.
6If the organization does not remove the cats within six months, the park service said it will have the cats removed.
7Cat lovers are disappointed with the plan.
8However, the agency said that the cats can spread diseases to humans.
9The plan said that the removal will be of value to visitors by reducing the possibility of disease.
10Ana Maria Salicrup works for the nonprofit group Save a Gato.
11"Gato" is the Spanish word for "cat."
12The group has helped care for the cats for years and hopes the agency will choose it to do the work.
13However, Salicrup said that the six-month time limit is not realistic.
14"Anyone who has worked with cats knows that is impossible. They are setting us up for failure," Salicrup said.
15There are many different kinds of cats with different behaviors that wander along the fortress known as "El Morro" which was built in the 1500s.
16The fortress is by the ocean and the island's capital, San Juan.
17The cats are believed to have come from the time when Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain.
18But some were brought to the capital to kill rats in the mid-1900s by Mayor Felisa Rincon de Gautier, the first female mayor elected in the Americas.
19The cats have since increased in number over the years.
20Visitors to Old San Juan often take pictures with the cats, and residents and volunteers with Save a Gato take care of them.
21The group feeds, sterilizes, and places them for adoption.
22Federal officials said two years ago that area was overpopulated with cats.
23The smell of waste and the behavior of the cats was "inconsistent with the cultural landscape," the agency said.
24Last year, the National Park Service offered two possibilities during a public meeting: remove the animals or do nothing.
25Those in attendance rejected removing the cats.
26One man described the cats as "one of the wonders of Old San Juan."
27The local people have even created a statue of the cats in the historic area.
28Danna Wakefield works in the solar industry and moved to Puerto Rico in 2020.
29She visits the cats weekly.
30She told the Associated Press, "These cats are unique to San Juan. Me and many other people love that walk because of the cats."
31In the removal plan, the agency said that cat feeding areas are to be removed unless they are used to trap cats.
32It said that feeding the cats is not permitted and attracts rats.
33Feeding the cats also causes people to leave their own unwanted cats in the area because they know their cats will be fed.
34The plan says that the animal welfare organization that is chosen will be responsible for deciding whether the cats will be adopted, placed in a temporary home, kept in a shelter or destroyed.
35The National Park Service said that the six-month time limit to trap the cats might be extended if progress is made.
36If that does not happen, then the current plan would end, and the service would pay for a removal agency.
37Salicrup said finding a home for so many cats is difficult.
38Save a Gato has talked with animal shelters on the U.S. mainland. They are unwilling to take the cats.
39"The response always is, 'You cannot bring 100 cats here,'" she said.
40I'm Faith Pirlo.
1The US National Park Service recently announced a plan to remove hundreds of stray cats that wander historic Old San Juan on the island of Puerto Rico. 2Local people and tourists consider the cats a joy, but some are bothered by them while others worry about disease. 3There are about 200 cats that live on about 30 hectares surrounding the old fortress at the San Juan Historic Site. The U.S. federal agency operates the site because Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. 4The park service said it will pay an animal welfare organization to remove the cats. If the organization does not remove the cats within six months, the park service said it will have the cats removed. 5Cat lovers are disappointed with the plan. However, the agency said that the cats can spread diseases to humans. The plan said that the removal will be of value to visitors by reducing the possibility of disease. 6Ana Maria Salicrup works for the nonprofit group Save a Gato. "Gato" is the Spanish word for "cat." The group has helped care for the cats for years and hopes the agency will choose it to do the work. However, Salicrup said that the six-month time limit is not realistic. 7"Anyone who has worked with cats knows that is impossible. They are setting us up for failure," Salicrup said. 8There are many different kinds of cats with different behaviors that wander along the fortress known as "El Morro" which was built in the 1500s. The fortress is by the ocean and the island's capital, San Juan. 9The cats are believed to have come from the time when Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain. But some were brought to the capital to kill rats in the mid-1900s by Mayor Felisa Rincon de Gautier, the first female mayor elected in the Americas. 10The cats have since increased in number over the years. Visitors to Old San Juan often take pictures with the cats, and residents and volunteers with Save a Gato take care of them. The group feeds, sterilizes, and places them for adoption. 11Federal officials said two years ago that area was overpopulated with cats. The smell of waste and the behavior of the cats was "inconsistent with the cultural landscape," the agency said. 12Last year, the National Park Service offered two possibilities during a public meeting: remove the animals or do nothing. 13Those in attendance rejected removing the cats. One man described the cats as "one of the wonders of Old San Juan." The local people have even created a statue of the cats in the historic area. 14Danna Wakefield works in the solar industry and moved to Puerto Rico in 2020. She visits the cats weekly. She told the Associated Press, "These cats are unique to San Juan. Me and many other people love that walk because of the cats." 15In the removal plan, the agency said that cat feeding areas are to be removed unless they are used to trap cats. It said that feeding the cats is not permitted and attracts rats. Feeding the cats also causes people to leave their own unwanted cats in the area because they know their cats will be fed. 16The plan says that the animal welfare organization that is chosen will be responsible for deciding whether the cats will be adopted, placed in a temporary home, kept in a shelter or destroyed. 17The National Park Service said that the six-month time limit to trap the cats might be extended if progress is made. If that does not happen, then the current plan would end, and the service would pay for a removal agency. 18Salicrup said finding a home for so many cats is difficult. Save a Gato has talked with animal shelters on the U.S. mainland. They are unwilling to take the cats. 19"The response always is, 'You cannot bring 100 cats here,'" she said. 20I'm Faith Pirlo. 21Danica Coto reported this story for the Associated Press. Faith Pirlo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 22________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24stray - adj. to describe going in a direction that is away from a group or from the place where you should be 25wander - v. to move from one place to another without a particular direction or destination 26tourist -n. a person who travels for pleasure and not for business 27fortress -n. a structure for defense against military attack 28welfare - n. the state of being happy, healthy, or successful; well-being 29sterilize - v. to make a living thing unable to produce children or offspring 30adopt -v. to legally take another person's child or pet as your own 31unique - adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else 32We want to hear from you. 33Our comment policy is here.