Boonie Tails

By Grace Keilbach

Saving the Boonies

We love Boonies just as much as the next person but it’s no secret there are way too many of them (approximately 30,000 too many). As they spend their days roaming the islands in a never ending search for food, these seemingly harmless and capable creatures are actually contributing to numerous issues and, turns out, aren’t very good at surviving without human intervention. As an invasive species, Boonie cats and dogs struggle to sustain themselves as they have no natural prey in addition to negatively impacting the island ecosystem (putting native species at risk, affecting water quality, etc.). So, how do you start saving the Boonies on an island with little to no resources? By getting rid of them (and then putting some of them back)!

TNR

TNR stands for trap, neuter, release and is highly effective in stabilizing stray populations. Exactly what it sounds like, stray (used to refer to free roaming animals which often includes many people’s pets across the CNMI) cats and dogs are caught, sterilized, and released back to their territory. Unable to reproduce, these animals will go on to live much happier and healthier lives, now no longer at risk to deadly STD’s, the repercussions of dangerous mating behaviors (fighting), and having the life sucked out of them one litter at a time (literally, have you ever seen a stray female’s nipples?).

The Vacuum Effect

To truly understand the importance of TNR, it is important to understand the Vacuum Effect. If you only remove strays from a territory, it creates a void that will then be filled by other nearby strays who will continue to reproduce, eventually leading to even greater numbers.

Decreasing the stray population via euthanasia or adoption will only lead to a temporary drop in numbers. Without TNR, the population will continue to rise overtime, therefore making other measures ineffective on their own.

Due to the overwhelming number of Boonies across the CNMI, TNR combined with euthanasia, less breeding, and adoption all must happen together to stabilize the stray population. Living on an isolated island, this goal is very achievable, it just needs to be a larger scale priority. Due to limited resources, spay/neuter surgery is often not available, however, many people are working together to change this. We will continue to do what we can with what we have to save the Boonies and make our islands a better place for all who call them home.

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Boonie of the Week: Meet Little Foot

Little Itty Bitty Wittle Foot or Little Foot for short is a Boonie Baby that will always have a piece of our hearts. Rescued as a puppy with no hair and not sure what to think of the world, this little naked rat slowly but surely began to get her hair and spirit back. Although always feral at heart, Little Foot had one of the quirkiest and sweetest personalities, making it impossible to not smile when looking at that big, goofy, grin that was always plastered across her face.

Despite being one of our favorite fosters, the reality of the situation was that Little Foot was not adoptable, never truly overcoming her street dog days. She was extremely shy with those she knew and you could forget about any stranger ever getting within an arms reach. After loving her for a year, we made the heartbreaking decision to euthanize, allowing us to give other dogs a chance and better prioritize adoptable candidates.

Little Foot spent her days playing with any and every dog, enjoying zoomies on the beach, being the first one in her crate for meals, sneaking out of the yard, and getting loved on (typically from a distance as she never was a fan of getting too close most days). These decisions never get any easier but it is always an honor to make whatever time they have with us the best it can be. We love you Little Itty Bitty Wittle Foot.

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