An economist in New Zealand has proposed a plan to preserve native wildlife - get rid of cats.
Gareth Morgan set up a website, called Cats To Go, that depicting a kitten with devil's horns and encouraged his fellow countrymen to make their current cat their last, the Associated Press reports.
The websites opening line: "That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer."
Morgan doesn't necessarily suggest cat owners euthanize their cats, but says "that is an option." He recently offered to pay a $5 bounty to the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for each homeless cat that they euthanize.
"Imagine a New Zealand teeming with native wildlife, penguins on teh beach, kimis roaming about in your garden," Morgan says on his website. "Imagine hearing birdsong in our cities."
Native birds thrived for thousands of years in New Zealand with no predators to control population growth. Human's introduction of domesticated animals have wiped out some bird species and endangered many others.
"I say to Gareth Morgan, butt out of our lives," Bob Kerridge, president of the SPCA told TV show Campbell live. "Don't deprive us of the beautiful companionship that a cat can provide individually and as a family."
About 70 percent of respondents on Morgan's website voted against making their current cat their last.
A 2011 survey revealed 48 percent of households in New Zealand have cats. The total cat population is about 1.4 million.
