Out-Of-Control Cats Take Over Island

Out-Of-Control Cats Take Over Island

What began as an innocent plan to tackle mice has turned into a bizarre tourist attraction on the Japanese island of Aoshima.

A Japanese island which is home to just 22 people is being overrun by cats.

The felines were originally brought to the island of Aoshima to deal with mice that were damaging fishing boats.

But with no predators, their breeding got out of control – and so far the authorities have done little about it.

There are now around 120 cats on the island, and only 10 of them have been neutered.

The cats have survived by foraging on local crops and food left in rubbish.

The island village, which has no shops or hotels, has come to be known as Cat Island and it is drawing crowds from the mainland on twice-daily ferries.

At its peak, the island had a population of 900, but this gradually dropped over the past 70 years as young people moved away.

Now, with the sudden surge in its popularity, some of the island’s inhabitants are worried that their quiet lives are going to be disrupted.

One said: “I just hope that (tourism) doesn’t become a burden on the people who live here and if so then I don’t think it’s a problem.”

Decide if the following statements are true or false.

1.    The people on the island decided to bring a lot of cats to the island to attract more tourists.

2.    There are more cats on the island than inhabitants.

3.    The cats were brought to the island by fishing boats.

4.    There are no dangerous wild animals on the island that could eat the cats.

5.    There are more and more cats because they are giving birth to more and more kittens.

6.    The inhabitants want to get rid of the cats because there are no shops on the island and they can’t buy cat food for them.

7.    The people are worried that the tourists coming to the island will disturb their quiet life.

Key:

1.    false

2.    true

3.    false

4.    true

5.    true

6.    false

7.    true