Wildlife Biologist Goes Too Far?

An avid conservationist is found guilty of attempting to poison feral cats, which she claims are a threat to wild birds.

Written byJef Akst

| 1 min read

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A judge in the DC Superior Court has found Nico Dauphiné, a former researcher at the Smithsonian National Zoo's Migratory Bird Center, guilty of attempted animal cruelty—specifically, trying to poison feral cats in Washington, DC, to protect local bird populations, ScienceInsider reported.

Dauphiné was reported to the Washington Humane Society by DC resident Rachel Sterling, who noticed a white powder repeatedly appearing on the food she and her husband left out for the neighborhood cats. Determining the substance to be poison, the Society teamed up with local law enforcement to catch the offender, placing video cameras to record the food bowls overnight. The cameras captured Dauphiné reaching into a small bag and then down to the food. The next morning, the food was covered in ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
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Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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