The political cartoon that ran April 14 on the Editorial page (with Garfield Cat) was a very poor choice. To simplify the issue of hunting feral cats in Wisconsin was a gross case of negligence.
I can think of two other cartoon characters that have had harmful consequences for the environment and humankind. The first is Smoky the Bear: His “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” campaign has now led to fuel buildups in the United States that have yearly catastrophic fire effects.
The second is Walt Disney’s Bambi. Deer have become more than a minor problem; they are destroying habitat and causing more car-deer collisions yearly. The anti-hunting campaign and the quotes I have heard from individuals who think all deer are Bambi or his mother are unrealistic.
So where does shooting Garfield come in?
Feral cats are a serious problem, not just in Wisconsin but in many states. The idea of not regulating their numbers is going to lead to another environmental crisis that we, as taxpayers, are going to have to pay for.
Doing nothing will bring the problem forward faster. Another proposed idea–catching, spaying and returning the cats to the wild–is not a good idea. If people have caught the cats and they are out of the environment, why put them back to cause more harm to the animals that are meant to be in our local environment?
