Out-of-control cats overrun Japanese island

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, off Ehime prefecture, 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.


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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."