The Ogasawara Islands, pictured, are overrun with a growing number of feral cats Photo: ALAMY
Wild cats tamed as pets to save exotic birds
The Ogasawara Islands, a clutch of tropical islands 620 miles south of Tokyo, are overrun with a growing number of feral cats.
Attacks on the islands' birds and other creatures have prompted fears that the wild cats are threatening the region's unique eco-system.
As a result, veterinary experts have joined forces with locals to round up the cats, before deporting them to Japan's main Honshu Island.
The deported cats subsequently undergo training to become domestic pets for periods of up to three months before starting their new lives.
More than 100 former wild cats have already been domesticated are now living happily in new homes in Japan, according to a spokesman for the Tokyo Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA), which is running the programme.
"It is unusual to turn wild cats into domestic pets," the TVMA spokesman told the Telegraph. "Normally these kinds of cats are just killed.
Describing the process of domesticating the wild animals, she said: "The process involves firstly putting the cat in a cage and then placing the cage in a place where people often pass by.
"The cat is touched every day and after about a month, can normally be held. The whole process can take up to three months."
The Tokyo-based organisation first explored the possibility of capturing the islands' growing population of wild cats five years ago.
However, the project has recently gathered pace as part of current efforts for Ogasawara to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, with locals now helping to capture the cats.
While the nation's birth rate is declining, the pet industry in Japan is booming, with studies showing that there are more cats and dogs than children under the age of 15.
In a reflection of the nation's love of pets, cat cafes. dog acupuncture, dance classes and fashion shows devoted to domestic animals are increasingly common.
