By Arfa Vaquas
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – While cats are common sights on the American University of Sharjah campus, their numbers appear to be receding slightly compared to past tallies, according to a research project undertaken by students enrolled in BIO 251 (Ecology).
The students spent two weeks earlier this semester estimating the campus cat population through a mark-and-recapture survey.
The annual lab project sent students across campus, including faculty housing, to photograph and identify cats during two sessions.
“We use the lab to teach how ecologists measure populations they cannot fully count,” explained Professor Aaron Bartholomew, the faculty member in charge of the effort.
He added that students mapped each sighting, They found that areas where residents feed cats consistently drew the highest concentration of felines.
The research let students estimate the population of cats, he noted, adding that the figures suggest a slight decline compared to recent years.
Cat feeding habits could continue to create hotspots and affect local bird populations as well, he added.
