This does not surprise me. I am a volunteer with Cowichan Cat Rescue, which is a purely voluntary organization working with stray, abandoned and feral cats in the Cowichan Valley.

In November of last year, Mr. Trevor Hughes who took over the ownership and running of the Cowichan Valley Animal Shelter from his father, Mr. Dan Hughes approximately one to two years ago, informed the Mayor and Council during his annual report to Council that the ONLY way of "dealing" with feral cats is to trap and kill. He further stated that the feral cat "problem" is MADE WORSE by "those organizations" that trap, spay, neuter and release. While electrocution is no longer used at the animal "shelter", the CO2 box is the method of choice for the euthanasia of cats and, I am also given to understand, small dogs.
I was given the opportunity to rebut Mr. Hughes' allegations with respect to feral cats, TNR programs and those "other organizations" who support or actively engage in TNR programs. Mayor and Council have asked Cowichan Cat Rescue to submit a proposal. Unfortunately, as we have neither the resources nor the volunteer base to do this, the proposal is unlikely to happen. This means, of course, that Mr. Hughes will continue to kill feral cats with no consideration or thought given to any alternatives - because, despite 20 years of research to the contrary, he simply does not believe that there is an alternative. But then, neither did his father, who actually appeared on CHEKTV on one occasion several years ago, making that very same claim.

It should be noted that Mr. Hughes does run a private business, and that the Cowichan Valley Animal Shelter is not a charity. Nor has Mr. Hughes ever hidden the fact that euthanasia is a feature of the shelter. The reality is that euthanasia - especially if he can use the CO2 box - is a less expensive alternative to either maintaining an animal, and/or to paying the cost of its spay or neuter. If Mr. Hughes chooses to euthanize as a BUSINESS DECISION, he does, of course, have that right. However, he should not wrap that particular decision up in the disguise of it being the best and only possible option.