A bird researcher for one of the world’s most respected institutions has been convicted of attempting to poison cats in her neighbourhood.
Nico Dauphine, 38, a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian's Migratory Bird Center was found guilty of attempted animal cruelty after CCTV cameras caught her standing over a bowl of cat food outside an apartment complex near her home.
She denied the charges and claimed she was just removing food to keep strays away, but the prosecution argued that she had taken rat poison out of a bag and was putting it on the food.
She will be sentenced on 21 November and faces a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Dauphine has since resigned from her position at the bird centre, where she was studying how domestic cats affect wildlife.
Smithsonian spokesperson Jen Zoon said: "She did not work with any of the Smithsonian's animals, and we do not feel that she posed any threat to the animals in the Smithsonian's collection."
In 2009, Dauphine coauthored a paper on the impact of cats on birds, which states that roaming felines "are estimated to kill at least 1 billion birds every year in the United States."
That figure was rubbished by Becky Robinson, president of the animal welfare organization Alley Cat Allies, who says: "That calculation is so absurd. I don't think anyone knows what the numbers are, and I don't think anyone can calculate that."
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