As Feral Cats Kill Them Off, San Francisco May Hail Its Quail
Feral cats like quail. So does San Francisco supervisor Leslie Katz, who introduced a resolution at the Board of Supervisors meeting here Monday to name the California quail the city’s official bird.
The resolution was inspired by a local organization’s effort to bring the city’s quail population back from the brink of extinction. The organization, known as Save the Quail, says cats that roam in Golden Gate Park are the reason for the quail decline.
The resolution would not have any impact on the cats, but a new plan agreed upon by the pro-quail local Audubon Society and the pro-cat local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals does address the cats. The plan would restore quail habitats in the city, but would not include any measures aimed at killing feral cats.
Many of the city’s quail live in the native plant section of the Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. The park’s Christmas quail count found only 12 of the birds in the park, all in the arboretum.
Katz’s resolution is to be voted on by the full Board of Supervisors on July 3.
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