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AGENCY MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF STATE ANTI-CRUELTY LAW
(New York, Oct. 31, 2007)
Susan Baer, General Manager of
JFK Airport, threatened in a recent memo to revoke the right of any
employee to be on airport grounds who is caught feeding cats. (For
full memo,
click here). The
NY State anti-cruelty law provides that a person who "deprives
any animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink, or neglects or
refuses to furnish it such sustenance or drink" is guilty of a
crime. Cats are dependent on people for food and drink and, by
ordering their sustenance be withheld, Baer may have committed a
criminal offense.
 In
addition to trying to starve the cats, Port Authority officials
continued their extermination effort by trapping them and dumping
them at a local shelter. Typically, feral cats are immediately
euthanized at animal control due to being unadoptable and a safety
risk to staff. Thanks to the heroic efforts of
NYC Feral Cat
Initiative staff, the cooperation and veterinary care provided
by Animal Care and Control of NYC, and caring volunteers, the first
ten cats caught in the Port Authority's purge were pulled alive from
the shelter. A grant to cover the costs of saving this first group
was provided by In
Defense of Animals (IDA).
"It's a true inspiration
to see the NYC community coming together to rescue these victims,"
said Bryan Kortis, Executive Director of Neighborhood Cats. "At the
same time, what an outrage that the cause of this travesty is a
powerful government agency which has not only defied the community's
will, but repeatedly and boldly lied to its face."
In the face of tens of
thousands of emails, faxes and phone calls protesting their actions,
the Port Authority continues to tell the public none of the cats
will be killed, despite the likelihood many in the very next group
of cats will be euthanized as local groups and rescuers exhaust
their resources. They continue to invoke the scare tactic of an
"aviation threat" by the cats despite a complete lack of evidence
and growing skepticism of the claim. They continue to lie that they
never heard of TNR until recently despite
a series of emails from 2004 proving the contrary. And they
continue to hide from the public, automatically deleting emails and
changing phone numbers.
WHAT CAN YOU
DO
Each passing day brings ever more outrageous conduct by the Port
Authority - this is not only about the precious lives of the cats
anymore, but about the accountability of people who have forgotten
they are public servants. We need you to raise your voice once more,
loudly and strongly, and let others in the government know your
opinion of the extermination effort and the Port Authority's
conduct. It is our last hope for these cats. No matter the outcome,
we as citizens must not lie down and be trampled upon by the
arrogance of those who have lost their way and will soon have blood
on their hands.
WHO TO CONTACT
(please click here for JFK
Proposal if anyone asks for more detailed info on the issues)
Anthony R. Coscia, Chairman
Board of Commisioners
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Phone: 732.846.2120 (direct line)
732-846-7600 (this is the general number for Mr. Coscia's law firm)
Fax: 732.846.8877
E-Mail:
acoscia@windelsmarx.com
The Honorable Eliot
Spitzer, Governor, New York
212-681-4580 (phone)
518-474-1513 (Fax)
Email: go to www.ny.gov and click on
"contact us" at the bottom of the page
The Honorable Mary
Donahue, Lieutenant Governor, New York
518-474-4623
Ltgovernor.correspondence@chamber.state.ny.us
The Honorable Helen
Marshall
Queens Borough President, Chairman - Airport Community Advisory
Board
Tel: 718-286-3000
Email: info@queensbp.org
Port Authority Corporate
Headquarters
(212) 435-7000 (get a live person on the line and demand to speak
to someone about the JFK situation - keep calling until they respond
TALKING POINTS: PORT
AUTHORITY KILLS CATS AND THE TRUTH
LIE #1:
"The cats will all be adopted into good homes."
THE TRUTH:
Feral cats are unadoptable and usually are immediately
put down when brought to shelters, as Port Authority plans to do.
Port Authority ADMITTED LYING to the public about this in the NY
Post article, "Frequent Liars", published Saturday, October 27,
2007.
LIE #2:
"Feeding the cats attracts seagulls and the birds are an
aviation threat."
THE TRUTH:
Seagulls are at the airport because JFK is NEAR THE
OCEAN!! And because there are tons of trash strewn about the
airport's grounds. There is not enough cat food to attract large
numbers of birds and there is no food left anyway when the cats
finish eating. Cats hunt birds, they don't attract them. There is
ZERO evidence proving a link between the presence of cats at an
airport and an aviation risk. DON'T BE GULL-IBLE!!!
LIE #3
"A cat will go onto the runways and cause a plane to
crash when it hits the cat."
THE TRUTH:
The cats are not located anywhere near the runways. No cat has ever
been spotted on any runway. Runways could be easily fenced to keep
cats out if this actually was a legitimate concern, which it's not.
Ever seen or heard of a jet hitting a cat?
LIE #4:
"We can achieve a cat-free airport."
THE TRUTH:
You can't wipe out the presence of feral cats in a 5000
acre area in which new, unneutered cats are constantly being
abandoned or lost and then reproducing, and where there are
plentiful food sources. Only Trap-Neuter-Return can, over time,
reduce the numbers. The Port Authority's extermination effort is
futile and will only result in new furry faces, not fewer. The
killing is senseless.
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