Encore Pioneer Village — Hotel in North Fort Myers

They want to eliminate the semi-ferrel cat population I guess they would rather have the rats that I see them constantly killing. Below is some good reasons to leave the cats alone.

A group of scientists from the epicenter of the debate on community cat colony management recently made a discovery they termed "surprising." A report in the journal Global Ecology and Biology showed that native mammals were most likely to die off on islands that had rats, but not cats, foxes, or dingoes.

I’m actually stunned that the scientists were surprised by this discovery. I only had to watch PBS shows and take high school science classes to learn how predator-prey relationships benefit prey animals. You’d think a bunch of Ph.Ds would have learned this lesson along the way, too. For those who need a refresher course, here’s how feral cats actually help prey animals to survive.

They kill other animals that cause harm

On Australian islands where feral cats were eliminated, rat populations rose exponentially. Rats are notorious for eating bird eggs, and as a result of being overrun by rats, bird populations on those islands were decimated.

They kill the weakest and slowest animals

By eating rodents or birds that don’t have the health and vitality to survive, or that lack the ability to camouflage themselves, feral cats help to assure that prey animal populations become stronger and more adapted to their environment.

They make prey animals smarter

Prey animals that learn that cats are to be avoided teach this lesson to their offspring. Those that get the clue will survive, and therefore the population as a whole will become smarter and more likely to live to reproduce.

They help to maintain the ecosystem

If prey populations rise too high, the impacts on the environment can be profound. After the elimination of feral cats in Australia’s Macquarie Island, rabbit populations exploded and rabbit grazing destroyed albatross habitats. By preying on those rabbits, feral cats helped to ensure that the island’s ecosystem remained stable.

They increase biodiversity

Because predators are more likely to kill animals that have a higher population, they make room for other animals that fill the same ecological niche. Shrews and birds both eat worms, for example, but if the shrew population rises high enough to threaten the birds’ ability to eat, feral cats will come to the rescue: they’re much more likely to eat shrews since there are so many more of them, therefore leaving more food for the birds.

So, the next time you see a feral cat with a rodent or a bird in its mouth, don’t assume that it just killed off the best and strongest of its species. Remember that the predator-prey relationship is a delicate dance and that in many cases, those cats are making prey stronger and smarter. Trap-neuter-vaccinate-return is the smartest way to manage feral cat populations: It keeps the predator population under control, which stabilizes the prey population at sustainable levels.

Have you seen examples of what happened when predators were eliminated from an area? Do you have anything to add about how predators help prey — or how they have destroyed prey populations in your area? Please share your thoughts in...

Bait and Switch: We reserved a park model with loft for the month of February after viewing their web site. When we showed up at the resort we were notified that we had been switch to a smaller unit without a loft. After checking with a supervisor, we were told 'this is all they have'. After driving 1500 miles, we had no choice except to accept. Issues: Toilet ran continuously, kitchen sink leaked (Took 3 times for maintenance to fix), No controller for tv (Picture was 14"x18") Cable box only received 3 stations(Told us to get Comcast to fix, Comcast says we're not account holder) Wanted to watch Super Bowl so we were forced to sign up and pay Comcast to get a new box)They did get us a new small TV. Provided sheets were stained, we had to wash before use. Had to buy towels to put under leaks. Shower curtain 3" above shower lip- water on floor. Only 60% of items on inventory list, were present. We bought hangers, there were none, outside chairs, theirs were baked on dirt and mold, dining chair cushions, there were none, blanket and etc. Many other issues as our first week was disastrous with the unit. On Feb 28 I met with Chris Engle, park manager, and he was aware of some of our issues, he knew others who had reserved a unit with loft and switched when they arrived. He said that he would call me in a couple of days as to why we were switched. That hasn't happened and I have left another call, text and e-mail to him a week later. Again no response. In the meeting Mr. Engle told me that the web site does not provide an accurate portrayal of what you think your getting. He did tell me he would reimburse us for expenses which he did. We have motorhomed for over 10 years, decided to try renting park models instead of motorhoming and were somewhat familiar with Thousand Trails and Encore. Never did I expect the issues we had and the bait and Switch tactics they allow. Truly a nightmare dealing with all the issues. Will never recommend any Encore sites, as you don't know what you're getting until you...

We told this RV park the size of our equipment when we booked through thousands trails so they had this info before our arrival however as you can see in the photos posted the site they assigned us I could not even get to. Our 5th wheel and truck could not get past the tree and even if we managed to do that, the site we were assigned would not have had any room to extend our 3 slides. We went to the office and a maintenance lady whom was very nice, came and escorted us to a site we could fit in (Although Barely). Park is unorganized and sites are too close. A few days later when the weather was better we ventured out with out St Bernard for a walk and This long term tenant in one of the mobile homes on the property came outside and headed towards us in a aggressive manner. Yelling about our dog peeing on her grass. I know this is a subject of debate about dogs using the bathroom and we are good dog owners we are always ready to clean up after him and he is friendly. We meant no disrespect but she was aggressive so we walked away yelling she was complaining to the Park office. So that is what she did and not to mention a neighbor the night before having a mental breakdown and me needing to usher my kids inside because they were scared of this guy. So my wife gets on the phone with Thousand Trails, Which is who we booked this park with and she was talking to the manager who stated that we are a problem starting with us having to switch sites because we couldn't fit. That wasn't our fault and of course this lady was up front complaining. Although I'm sure she never mentioned her aggressiveness towards park guests. This park treats guests differently depending on how you arrive and pay. Thousand Trails guests are not treated the same way and a long term lease guest. Its disappointing. Thousand trails has been great and moved us to another park right away that's much nicer. If your a Thousand Trails member there are much better encore parks in the south...