SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — To save San Juan’s community cats from eradication, Alley Cat Allies, the leader of the global movement to protect cats and kittens, has launched a lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS). This legal challenge aims to put an end to NPS’s cruel, futile, and unlawful plan to remove and kill cats on federal lands in Puerto Rico.
“For generations, community cats have lived in peace along the rocky shores of Old San Juan’s scenic Paseo Del Morro. They are adored by locals and tourists alike and are woven into the fabric of Puerto Rican culture,” said Coryn Julien, communications director for Alley Cat Allies. “Now they face a deadly threat from the NPS, which is determined to remove the cats from their natural outdoor homes and their community, including by lethal means. Alley Cat Allies will not stand by and watch it happen, nor will the many people who care for and about these cats.”
The NPS’ plan, which also seeks to dismantle the longstanding, humane and effective Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program on the Paseo, has ignited a firestorm of opposition from both the local community and international supporters, who are vocal in their demand to safeguard these animals from harm.
Alley Cat Allies stands with the people of Puerto Rico in a united front against animal cruelty, challenging the NPS’s reckless and baseless decision-making including the dismissal of the TNR program.
“The proposed plan by the NPS not only lacks scientific backing and is doomed to fail, but also flouts environmental protection statutes, setting the stage for the senseless slaughter of scores of cats,” said Yonaton Aronoff, a lawyer representing Alley Cat Allies.
Alley Cat Allies calls upon the NPS to abandon its flawed and inhumane eradication scheme in favor of bolstering TNR efforts and to acknowledge the Paseo’s community cats as beings with inherent value who are beloved San Juan community members. Alley Cat Allies is committed to protecting community cats in Puerto Rico and around the world, and advocates for evidence-based, nonlethal policies for cats that allow them to live and thrive wherever they call home—including the outdoors.
Alley Cat Allies urges all who value cats’ lives and Old San Juan’s cultural heritage to join us in this critical fight against cruelty and injustice. Together, we can protect the community cats of Puerto Rico so they can continue to live in harmony in their outdoor homes, where they belong.
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