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Stray animals can be a major issue around military bases, especially when they threaten aircraft. How those animals are dealt with is another issue.

In Hawaii, stray cats have been targeted with blow darts¹.

“It is our understanding that a group of soldiers… purchased blow dart guns while on a recent training mission to Indonesia and brought them home to Hawaii,” said KAT Charities founder Dr. Karen Tyson². “We have seen multiple cats with darts currently in them.”

There were also reports of of two cats that were found mutilated near a Popeyes restaurant on base. The cats were found with their stomachs slit open — their intestines and organs spilling out³.

At bases in South Korea, similar incidents have been reported where stray cats were killed with air guns.

The Korea Herald aired one video that showed someone who seemed to be military personnel firing an air gun at a cat that was in a cage⁴. The incident was filmed at the Osan Air Base, which is a US Air Force base located in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

It was reported that cats were also shot in post at the Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, South Korea⁵.

The Korea Herald received an anonymous tip that feral cats were being targeted by pellet guns as a part of the Bird/Wildlife Aircraft Striking Hazard program⁶.

The tipster reportedly participated in the BASH program firsthand in 2020, dropping out after a year after being upset with what was discovered.

“The man in charge at the time openly bragged to me how he loved to shoot anything because he was authorized to do so, and he especially liked trying to get the cats,” the tipster told the Korea Herald.

The BASH program was initially implemented to keep runways clear of animals. Airmen use predator calls, noise cannons and shotguns to deter pests.

According to the tip, animals are being killed indiscriminately, even when they are far from the runway.

“I found the cat about a mile from the aircraft flightline, meaning it didn’t pose any risk to aircraft, and because it was near the populated part of the base, it never should’ve been shot there,” he said.

A statement from the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii holds that these killings go against the Army’s protocol⁷:

According to the Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 134, animal abuse is illegal, and anyone convicted could be fined, imprisoned, or dishonorably discharged from the military⁸.

Help us ensure stray animals like feral cats are treated in a humane way. Sign the petition and ask the Department of Defense to investigate these killings and enforce Article 134!