Shannen D. Abenido, Lucille Marie S. Jusa, Marie Claire P. Mandar (March 2013)
Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Cat predation of birds is unlike that by any native predator, perhaps most importantly because outdoor cats are maintained in numbers far above natural carrying capacity. There are also a number of other important ways in which cats are distinct from native predators that may compound their negative effects on bird and other wildlife populations. Cats have contributed to declines and extinctions of birds and are one of the most important drivers of global bird extinctions. In the city of Iloilo, Philippines, Hinactacan Mangrove Area is known as a bird sanctuary. In this paper, we investigate whether or not domestic cats around this area prey on the birds living there. Studies have shown that cats pose threats to many bird populations, including priority species for conservation, through their predation of birds. But in this study, it was found out that there were no evidence of bird preying by the domestic cats living around Hinactacan Mangrove Area.