On Brazil's Island of Cats, Virus Led to Starvation
2020-10-20
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1All the local people knew Furtada Island was full of cats.
2People left food for the cats and even brought tourists.
3Then the coronavirus crisis hit, and human support for the animals stopped.
4That is when fishermen witnessed something very sad: a group of cats eating dead cats.
5Furtada Island is widely known as "Island of the Cats."
6It is just west of Rio de Janeiro and 20 minutes by motorboat from the city of Mangaratiba.
7It sits on one side of Brazil's Green Coast, an area known for its mountainous forests and hundreds of small islands.
8Over the years, fishermen threw unwanted pieces of fish and unneeded catch onto the island to feed the cats.
9Other people left containers filled with water and store-bought cat food.
10That has helped the hundreds of animals stay fed.
11Some of the cats on Furtada Island are new arrivals.
12They lack the skills of their wild-born relatives, which climb trees to raid birds' homes.
13When the pandemic forced people to stay at home, tourism slowed and restaurants that serve seafood closed.
14Boat traffic around the island fell sharply - and with it, the cats' food and water supply.
15Locals did not realize the situation on the island until the fishermen reported back in April.
16"The number of boats fell, the number of tourists, and we saw the condition of those animals on the island," said 58-year-old Jorge de Morais.
17He works with a local group that rescues animals from abuse.
18So, we went to work, he said.
19He and other volunteers asked local businesses for donations.
20In April, they started putting simple food and water dispensers on the island.
21The dispensers were made from plastic pipes.
22Now, volunteers make weekly trips to add food and water to the machines.
23Recently, de Morais and three others returned to the island, where thick plant life spills down to meet a rocky coast.
24"Cats that are recently discarded, they're more sociable," said Joice Puchalski, the organizer of the group.
25You saw we can get close and touch them, she said.
26But not the wild ones. They all are hidden.
27"You see them at night, because of their eyes," she said.
28The population of nearly 250 cats can be traced back to a man and woman who lived on the island around 20 years ago, Puchalski said.
29They left and did not take their two cats.
30So those animals did what most creatures, when left alone, would do. They had babies.
31As the cat population grew, people took notice.
32And some saw it as a place to leave unwanted cats from the city.
33Brazilian officials are exploring ways to prevent people from leaving animals on the island.
34It is already a crime, but signs noting that have had little effect.
35Karla de Lucas is responsible for animal protection in Rio state.
36She inspected the Island of the Cats in June.
37And she met with the Navy and environmental officials to explore punishments, a statement said.
38Last month, Brazil's Congress passed a law increasing the punishment for abuse of cats and dogs.
39Those arrested for the crime can serve up to five years in prison.
40There are no freshwater springs on the island and limited drinking water causes kidney problems for the cats, Puchalski said.
41But the biggest problem is bites from poisonous snakes.
42Another animal, a kind of lizard, will also attack and hurt young cats.
43And some cats are injured when boatmen throw them onto the rocks.
44The volunteers bring cats to the mainland, as needed, for medical treatment.
45They try to find someone to adopt each animal.
46If that does not happen, they bring it back to the island so they can help others requiring medical attention.
47It is a job that is never finished, Puchalski said.
48"We really need someone who can join forces with us to try to heal this criminality that, for us, is cruelty," she said.
49I'm Alice Bryant.
1All the local people knew Furtada Island was full of cats. 2People left food for the cats and even brought tourists. Then the coronavirus crisis hit, and human support for the animals stopped. That is when fishermen witnessed something very sad: a group of cats eating dead cats. 3Furtada Island is widely known as "Island of the Cats." It is just west of Rio de Janeiro and 20 minutes by motorboat from the city of Mangaratiba. It sits on one side of Brazil's Green Coast, an area known for its mountainous forests and hundreds of small islands. 4Over the years, fishermen threw unwanted pieces of fish and unneeded catch onto the island to feed the cats. Other people left containers filled with water and store-bought cat food. That has helped the hundreds of animals stay fed. 5Some of the cats on Furtada Island are new arrivals. They lack the skills of their wild-born relatives, which climb trees to raid birds' homes. 6When the pandemic forced people to stay at home, tourism slowed and restaurants that serve seafood closed. Boat traffic around the island fell sharply - and with it, the cats' food and water supply. 7Locals did not realize the situation on the island until the fishermen reported back in April. 8"The number of boats fell, the number of tourists, and we saw the condition of those animals on the island," said 58-year-old Jorge de Morais. He works with a local group that rescues animals from abuse. So, we went to work, he said. 9He and other volunteers asked local businesses for donations. In April, they started putting simple food and water dispensers on the island. The dispensers were made from plastic pipes. 10Now, volunteers make weekly trips to add food and water to the machines. 11Recently, de Morais and three others returned to the island, where thick plant life spills down to meet a rocky coast. 12"Cats that are recently discarded, they're more sociable," said Joice Puchalski, the organizer of the group. You saw we can get close and touch them, she said. But not the wild ones. They all are hidden. "You see them at night, because of their eyes," she said. 13The population of nearly 250 cats can be traced back to a man and woman who lived on the island around 20 years ago, Puchalski said. They left and did not take their two cats. So those animals did what most creatures, when left alone, would do. They had babies. As the cat population grew, people took notice. And some saw it as a place to leave unwanted cats from the city. 14Brazilian officials are exploring ways to prevent people from leaving animals on the island. It is already a crime, but signs noting that have had little effect. 15Karla de Lucas is responsible for animal protection in Rio state. She inspected the Island of the Cats in June. And she met with the Navy and environmental officials to explore punishments, a statement said. Last month, Brazil's Congress passed a law increasing the punishment for abuse of cats and dogs. Those arrested for the crime can serve up to five years in prison. 16There are no freshwater springs on the island and limited drinking water causes kidney problems for the cats, Puchalski said. But the biggest problem is bites from poisonous snakes. Another animal, a kind of lizard, will also attack and hurt young cats. And some cats are injured when boatmen throw them onto the rocks. 17The volunteers bring cats to the mainland, as needed, for medical treatment. They try to find someone to adopt each animal. If that does not happen, they bring it back to the island so they can help others requiring medical attention. 18It is a job that is never finished, Puchalski said. 19"We really need someone who can join forces with us to try to heal this criminality that, for us, is cruelty," she said. 20I'm Alice Bryant. 21The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 22________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24tourist - n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure 25pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world 26dispenser - n. a machine or container that lets you take small amounts of something 27discard - v. to throw something away because it is useless or unwanted 28trace - v. to follow something back to its cause, beginning, or origin 29kidney - n. either of two organs in your body that remove waste products from your blood and make urine 30snake - n. an animal that has a long, thin body and no arms or legs 31adopt - v. to take a child (or animal) legally as your own child