Stray cats or endangered wildlife? YouTuber sparks debate by calling for cat euthanasia

A feral cat hunts a Crested Murrelet, a protected seabird designated as a Natural Monument in Korea, on Mara Island in a scene from a video uploaded by wildlife YouTuber Korean Birder. Captured from YouTube

A popular Korean wildlife YouTuber has reignited a long-standing debate over stray cats after arguing that euthanasia is necessary to reduce their population and protect native wildlife.

The controversy began after YouTuber Korean Birder, known for content about Korean wildlife and ecosystems and followed by roughly 500,000 subscribers, uploaded a video on Saturday titled "Cats, we have no choice but to kill them now."

The video opens with footage of cats on Mara Island, a small island off Korea's southern coast, hunting a Crested Murrelet, a protected seabird designated as a Natural Monument and classified as an endangered species in Korea.

The YouTuber argued that the problem extends far beyond Mara Island and has become a nationwide ecological issue, claiming that stray and feral cats are harming vulnerable wildlife across the country.

He also criticized current cat management policies, including shelter placement, adoption programs and trap-neuter-return efforts, in which stray cats are captured, sterilized and released back into the wild.

"Current policies being implemented in Korea are not effective," he said, arguing that euthanasia is the only realistic way to significantly reduce cat populations.

A person feeds stray cats in a scene from a video uploaded by wildlife YouTuber Korean Birder. Captured from YouTube

The creator previously made similar arguments in 2023, drawing strong backlash from animal rights groups.

In his latest video, he pointed to policies in Australia and New Zealand, where governments have carried out large-scale efforts to reduce feral cat populations because of their impact on native wildlife.

"Our government should designate stray cats as harmful wildlife or an invasive species and establish a legal basis for reducing their numbers," he said.

The video quickly gained traction online, attracting more than 9,000 comments and fueling heated discussions across social media platforms.

Supporters argued that protecting endangered wildlife should take precedence over preserving populations of an introduced predator.

"Since when have cats, an introduced species, been considered more important than protected native wildlife?" one commenter wrote.

Others echoed the YouTuber's position, saying that authorities should impose stricter regulations on people who regularly feed stray cats and that humans have a responsibility to restore ecological balance if human activity helped create the problem.

Critics, however, strongly opposed the proposal, arguing that euthanizing stray cats amounts to animal cruelty and that nonlethal population-control measures should be expanded instead.

The debate highlights a growing conflict between animal welfare concerns and conservation efforts in Korea, where stray cats have become both a beloved urban presence and a source of concern for wildlife advocates.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.