People who release cats and dogs into the wild to fend for themselves should feel the full force of the law for their criminal actions. These unwanted pets left to breed and multiply in the wild have the capability of decimating entire animal species who have no natural defence against these apex predators. Pets, like dogs and cats, are very efficient killing machines once freed to hunt in the wild, and they quickly adapt to the natural environment around them. Every school holidays, I witnessed the total disregard that some people had for their pets, and the natural environment. My father was the local veterinarian who practised from our home, and the holiday period was a time he dreaded. During this period my father was asked by people if he would put down their pets because they were going on holidays, and couldn’t care for the animal. He refused, but some people would then drive into national parks and release their pets into the bush, and continue on their merry way to their holiday destination. It was cruel enough that they left their pets behind to survive on their own, but the real act of cruelty was unleashing these predatory animals onto defenceless fauna. Animal shelters are full of unwanted pets who have been picked up wandering the streets. Rearing pets is a great responsibility and they shouldn’t be discarded simply because they outgrow their cuteness or become a hindrance in our lives. People should think very carefully before taking on a pet, because they have an obligation to look after it for the rest of its life. There is no place for feral cats or dogs in today’s fragile natural environment.