Enigmatic frontman of The Smiths, solo artist in his own right and noted defender of animal rights Morrissey has made his voice heard once again, this time labeling the feral cut cull by the Australian government as “taking idiocy too far.”
The comments were posted on Morrissey’s fan zine True To You and are quoted in full here.
“We all know that the idiots rule the Earth, but this is taking idiocy just too far. The cats (who keep the rodent population under control) will be killed in a ferocious manner, using Compound 10/80, which is a gut-wrenching poison of the most unimaginable and lengthy horror. The people of Australia would never agree to this – but of course they will not be consulted, because the Australian government as ruled by Tony Abbott is essentially a committee of sheep-farmers who have zero concerns about animal welfare or animal respect. The cats are, in fact, 2 million smaller versions of Cecil The Lion. All I can say is … come, come, nuclear bomb … “
The program, named The Threatened Species Strategy is designed to protect 20 species of native mammals including bilbies, numbats and bandicoots that have come under threat from the introduced felines. One can only assume these are the rodents Morrissey is referring to.
While the cats were initially introduced in the hopes that they would control the rabbit, rat and mice populations, they soon became a scourge of native fauna as well as carriers of disease.
Currently listed as a threat to some 35 species of birds, 36 mammals, seven reptiles and three amphibians on the Australian mainland, you can find out more about feral cats here.
Watch: The Smiths – The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
