So what’s new for animals in St. Thomas (a.k.a. “Technicolorland”) this year? For iguanas, our all-time island favorite, a couple new signs were small but helpful things we spotted, one at “our” resort.
The first sign may deter tourists from treating the iguanas stupidly; in the past, we saw an iguana with a chunk of watermelon (temporarily) stuck in his/her craw. Needless to say, that fruit was a “gift” from a tourist. When the iguana was later tracked down by a staff member, the watermelon had either been swallowed or spit out.
And there was much good news about/for feral cats on the island. It may well have happened before this year – details will follow in future posts – but a program called “Cat Cafes” that operates out of the Humane Society of St. Thomas is a really good thing for the multitudes of ferals there.
At various places around the island there are decorative little buildings where food and water are provided for ferals. And reportedly, TNR is also practiced, with cats who have been neutered sporting one scalloped ear tip, as usual. (Lawrence and Ewing Townships, NJ, are you reading this?)
Probably best of all, many of those I talked with knew about the Humane Society (UNconnected with the Humane Society of the US) and the Cat Cafes. When people know about such things and speak matter of factly about them, that’s a great sign of acceptance.
Hooray for St. Thomas – savvier and more humane on the feral cat issue than some places in New Jersey!
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