Photo by m hoek.

This morning, we told you about a researcher at the National Zoo who stands accused of poisoning feral cats near Meridian Hill Park. The commentariat proceeded to explode. And people are noticing!

In reaction to the story, the Humane Society of the United States has released a statement regarding the accusations leveled against Nico Dauphiné, who has been charged with attempted animal cruelty, and its support of the trap-neuter-return programs which plenty of you had an opinion about:

“The Humane Society of the United States applauds the Washington Humane Society for its investigation into the alleged illegal poisoning of feral cats, and urges full prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office if warranted. We recognize that managing feral and stray community cats is a complex and emotional issue for cat and bird advocates. Although they have a common goal, advocates continue to battle over how to effectively reduce the number of roaming cats. The HSUS supports humane and innovative programs such as trap-neuter-return to manage feral cat population numbers and reduce conflicts. Community collaboration and involvement, as well as spaying and neutering pet cats and keeping them indoors or safely confined to their property, will lead to solutions that protect cats, birds and other wildlife. Regardless of one’s views on cat-bird conflicts, poisoning feral cats is short-sighted, criminal, and just the wrong response,” said Michael Markarian, chief operating officer for The Humane Society of the United States.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post digs a little further into the process of TNR at the Washington Humane Society — which operates a monthly TNR clinic — and TNR’s skeptics, like PETA.