Stanford Wildlife

exceptionally painful death and triggered unintended secondary kills of other species.

Stanford resumed the poisoning last September in order to save the trees along Palm Drive, but opted for a poison that, Fong says, has no secondary effects. "We need to be as flexible as possible and still be a good steward of our resources," Fong said. "I'm just glad we have a reasonable alternative."

A popular solution to many of the wildlife quandaries is Stanford's increasing use of natural predators when the ecology requires a little tilting. The strategy can make for strange bedfellows; Fong, for instance, has become a serious chiropterphile (bat fan) in recent years. The winged mammals can eat their body weight in insects, he said. Last spring the Facilities Operations division built houses and perches for 300 bats. As long as the bats stay out of Meyer Library and other buildings, Stanford hopes to encourage the population.

Another local predator is the feral cat, which curtails the populations of small animals on campus. Cats have wandered the area for years; most are left by students or abandoned by locals. Eight years ago the population was becoming a serious problem and the university was ready to round up the cats and ship them to local humane societies, where many would be put to sleep. But the threat galvanized local cat lovers to found the Stanford Cat Network, a volunteer organization that spays, neuters, vaccinates and tags cats. The cats are then allowed to roam campus, where they are fed by volunteers. Carole Hyde, a volunteer, said the organization is composed mostly of Stanford staff and students.

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