The recent increase of stray cats and dogs on campus has caught the attention of the university community and steps are being taken to address the problem.At the Staff Advisory Council meeting Thursday, Nov. 9, Lloyd Iglehart, director of environmental health and safety, spoke about the issue and informed council members of the university’s plan of action.
“We are in the process of developing a comprehensive animal control plan. We don’t have a written plan but general practice has been to capture the animal and take it to the Brazos County Animal Shelter in College Station,” he said.
Responding to speculations concerning the capture of different animals and how they have been handled afterward, Iglehart said, “We have purchased cages to trap the cats. One Sunday afternoon, we caught a black cat and by Monday the cat had been released. We are not harming the cats in any way. We are trying to mitigate the situation.”
A trio of staff from the College of Business in Hobart Taylor said they are willing to assist administration to come to a solution that works for everyone, as well as the animals. Cathy Preston, a member of the trio, said, “I think it’s important to stop the problem before it gets started. The beginning of the problem is with the students bringing the animals on campus.”
The trio comprises Preston, Carol Herrington and April Irvin. Herrington unexpectedly left last Thursday’s meeting, after she brought a living example of what happens to animals when they are uncared for and was asked to leave the cat in the hallway until the issue was addressed according to the agenda. Herrington felt the request was unfair and opted to leave the meeting. She has adopted the cat, which she named B.J. The cat had to have a leg amputated due to lack of care and an incident where a car ran over its foot.
In an interview with The Panther, Herrington said, “I think there needs to be a sub-committee established to address the issue. I have a couple of ideas of ways to address the issue. Maybe there could be spot inspections [in university housing] to check for animals. Or maybe students who want to have pets should have to pay ‘pet deposits’ which would go toward having animals without a home caught humanely and if necessary, euthanized.”
The main concern is safety and to “protect faculty, staff, and students,” Iglehart said.
“Wild animals carry diseases, such as AIDS and leukemia, which can be transmitted through the soil to other animals and people; then it becomes a problem for everyone. The sub-committee needs to have student representation as well, and a plan to solve this issue,” Herrington said.
Students are also concerned about the situation.
“The stray animals bother me because you never know what kind of diseases they carry. They need to be removed from the campus and students need to stop feeding them,” said junior communications major Whitney Nolan.
“I think they really need to do something about the dogs on campus, especially the really big ones and the cats too. Late at night the cats jump on people’s cars and their claws scratch the hoods. I don’t know what can be done, but something needs to be done,” said junior Dedtric Ray.
Prairie View is not the only university with a pet population. “There has to be a way to arrest the pet population and a good way everyone can work together,” said Herrington.