A German town near Heidelberg has put its cats on a three-year summer lockdown as part of an attempt to save the endangered crested lark. Cats are to be kept indoors from now to the end of August. The rules will also apply for the next three years.
Crested larks breed on the ground, and are therefore easy prey for cats; last year the town, Walldorf, had only three breeding pairs left. District officials said that the species depends on “the survival of every single young bird,” and suggested that outdoor cats in the area be brought inside, or re-homed in other areas.
The order has drawn fire from some animal lovers who say that banning cats is not the way to solve the problem, and the Wiesloch-Walldorf Animal Welfare Association says it will sue over the rule, which provide a €500 fine for violation and possibly a penalty of up to €50,000 for the owner of a cat that kills one of the larks.
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