Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Dec. 13, 1996, edition 1 / Page 11
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Guilford's furry friends STACEY VINCENT staff writer You see them everywhere. Lying around on the grass, sunning themselves like they haven't a care in the world- and breeding like crazy. No, I'm not refer ring to Guilford's students. I'm talking about the wild cat population on campus. Many students, and faculty, enjoy the presence of the cats. Not only have they practically become school pets, but they are excellent for controlling the less fa vored rodent population. Before the cats came, the mice in dorms and faculty of fices, such as the Archdale building, were almost unbearable. Now they are almost non-existent. I have spent many years working pro fessionally with all types of domestic and exotic animals, and have recently spent a great deal of time working with Guil ford County's Animal Control Depart ment. Due to this, I tend to see the big picture that many may be missing. The cats, for all of their benefits, also pose a serious health risk to the campus. The primary risk is rabies. The cats, being wild and feeding primarily on wild rodents, are highly susceptible to con tracting the rabies vims. North Carolina, including Guilford County, has come to the end of a rabies free era. Last year there were 466 re ported cases of rabies and one of those, a raccoon, was less than 13 miles from the Guilford campus. Rabies is the primary concern, but December 13,1996 What changes, if any, should be made in the core curriculum? I don't think I I would let I don't think the I really don't see would change credits double FYS should be a re- any problems with anything. I like it count not only for quirement. I feel that the core curriculum because they the core but also freshmen should be right now because don't require for your major. allowed to explore we really enrich math, and every- -Stephen the classes or go di- ourselves through thing else is fine. Wilcosky, first rectly into the classes what we learn and -Kimberly year they need for their that's what Guil- Maddox, first major. ford is all about, year ---Charles —King Tang, Edward Norton, Sophomore first year there are other zoonoses, or diseases that can be transmitted to humans from ani mals, that we need to be concerned with. Most, however, like campylobacteriosis and ancyclos to miosis , are bacterial or parasitic, low risk, and easily treatable. The overpopulation problem is another factor to be considered. The reproduction rate in cats is astronomical due to their polyestrus breeding cycle. It is highly possible for one un spayed female cat and her offspring to produce 4,000 or more cats and kittens in her breeding lifetime. For the sake of the school, the cat over population, and the health of students here at Guilford, something must be done. One solution is the permanent removal of the cats. Though this would be the most cost effective means of controlling the situa tion, I by no means feel it is the best situ ation. Another solution would be to capture the cats, have them vaccinated, spayed or neutered accordingly, and then released back into the community. The treated ani mals could be marked by a notched or tipped ear for easy identification. Dr. Wendy Stockard at Friendly Vet at Guilford said that she would be more than willing to offer her services. They are willing to treat the cats at an almost 50% discount (females $66/ males $42). Traps will also have to be purchased. The Have-A-Heart traps are the most safe, humane, and easy to use. The cost for one of these traps, however, is $59. Purchasing the traps for the school would allow us to use them in continual control forum and an ongoing health and maintenance program. The money needed to support this ef fort could be acquired easily through do nations. If approval is received from the school administration, donation jars and drop boxes will be set up at random spots around campus. By solving the problem in this man ner, we are benefiting the animals, as well as the campus community. The college would also be sending an important mes sage to the rest of Guilford County. The population of cats needs to be controlled, but there are more humane methods than destroying the animals. I can't begin to count the number of cats, wild and domestic, I saw destroyed dur ing my time with Animal Control. Last year alone there were over 11,000 ani mals destroyed there and the overwhelm ing majority of those were cats. One last point to consider before mak ing decisions on how we want to handle this situation: we must remember that even if the school decides to have the animals permanently removed, this choice will by no means solve the prob lem Cats are highly territorial and will generally resist newcomers. Permanently removing the present population would be an invitation for another to takes its place. By treating and releasing the cats we have now, we can more effectively control the health of the animals we come in contact with. The Guilfordian The real roots of Christmas It's that time of year again. People are hanging up stockings, decorating trees. .. the air is thick with the sound of Christmas carols and the smell of candy canes. Everyone's holly jolly and dropping pennies into the tin buckets of Salvation Army Santas. Occasionally, someone even brings up the real reason behind Christmas: the birth of Christ. At this point, all the non-Christians of America sputter over their egg nog as they are forced to reconcile their reli gious beliefs with their love of cheesy Christmas movies. Is it hypocritical for a devout atheist to give gifts on the twenty-fifth of De cember? What about the holiday spirit of giving? Surely donating gifts to needy families is at least as compatible with cel ebration of the winter solstice as putting up plastic nativity scenes is with Christ mas. Many of the traditions associ ated with Christmas, such as decorating trees and hanging holly and mistletoe were taken from pre-Christian religious cel ebrations Consider the roots and meaning of this winter holiday. Originally it may have been intended just to celebrate Jesus's birth, but how do gifts from Santa Claus or decorating evergreens really relate to this religious origin? Many of the tradi tions associated with Christmas, such as decorating trees and hanging holly and mistletoe were taken from pre-Christian religious celebrations. Because the true date of Jesus's birth is unknown, the twenty-fifth of December was chosen because it coincides with the pagan holi day of Yule, another term also used around this time of year. So there is more to this holiday sea son than commercialization and church services. Next time you decorate your Christmas tree, Hanukkah bush, or Yule log, remember that the values of peace, love, and giving to others are universal. They extend beyond one religion and should also extend beyond one month of the year to become a real part of our daily existence. 11 LINDSAY OLDENSKI editorials editor
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Dec. 13, 1996, edition 1
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