Britain’s Songbird Species face Extinction due to many threats including Cats

Independent charity, SongBird Survival, recently launched the #FriendsNotFood https://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/friends-not-food campaign on 1st August ahead of International Cat Day on Monday 8th August. The campaign will educate the public about practical, harmless and scientifically proven methods of preventing cats killing birds in ways that can actually enrich their pet cats’ lives.

The campaign will also share the journeys of specific cat owners and bird lovers, such as Sue from York, to help convey the high-quality academic research the charity has funded in order to generate positive change. This includes the pragmatically designed Cats And Their Owners Project led by scientists at the University of Exeter, which found three simple ways^6-15 to prevent cats hunting. See infographics here.

EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF BIRD AND CAT LOVERS

Besides offering tips and advice for adults on supporting our feathered AND furry pets, #FriendsNotFood will teach young people in town and countryside about their wider natural environment through a variety of games, competitions and research findings to help them experience the amazing world of ornithology, and how to keep our birds safe. Participating in a fun research task will help children to engage with their native species, and use the charity’s past campaign –what3birds – to ‘Find Our Friends’: identify garden birds at home and plot the sightings on the interactive map

The charity is encouraging the public to follow them on social media via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with #FriendsNotFood, share experiences about their cats and garden wildlife, compare notes and keep the ‘conservation conversation’ going.