Sterling Davis—also known as “Trap King,” reflecting his prowess with the humane traps used in the commission of Trap Neuter Return (TNR) of community cats, previously called feral cats—recounts his unlikely path into cat rescue and TNR, and the budding career he turned his back on to travel this path. Living in Atlanta then and now, Davis explains how that decision was partly propelled by recognizing that he could make a difference in a field where he was something of a double anomaly: a male in cat rescue is rare, cat rescuers who are black are rarer still—that his participation, and example, could help generate diversity. He recalls how his initial TNR forays into black neighborhoods were met with suspicion, with many thinking he was up to no good, and some even thinking he was participating in a diabolical government conspiracy. Undeterred, Davis just kept TNRing in those areas, so that people gradually let go of their impressions that he was up to no good, and some became intrigued—partly by design, he says, as he’d pull up to a location in his visually-striking “Trap Van,” music blaring, and generally make a big production of his TNR tasks, happy to answer questions or otherwise engage with intrigued bystanders. He discussed founding TrapKing Humane Cat Solutions, his Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to educating communities about various feral cat issues and, in many cases, performing TNR in those areas. Davis articulates various ways he hopes to spread the word about the virtues of TNR, while promoting greater diversity, placing a premium on reaching young people through various means, including overseeing the creation of a children’s book, “Marvin: Trap King for a Day,” hoping to persuade the Girl Scouts and/or Boy Scouts to introduce a TNR merit badge, and creating a national network of organizations loosely akin to fraternities/sororities for college (or post-college) age adults to explore and cultivate an interest in TNR. (https://trapkinghumane.org/, https://www.instagram.com/the_original_trapking/, https://www.facebook.com/trapkinghumane/, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283642811)
COMEDY CORNER: Erin Foley’s “Three Cats” (https://erinkfoley.com/)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Jake Shimabukuro’s “Dragon,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man”
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
Listen Online Now: