28 June
2002
20c, $1.00, $1.50,
$3.00
Mint and
CTO
$5.70
FDC $6.70
Sheetlet: 20c +
$3.00
Mint and
CTO
$3.20
FDC $4.20
Release
Date
: 28 June 2002
Denominations
: 4 stamps: 20c, $1.00, $1.50, $3.00
: Sheetlet: 20c + $3.00 = $3.20
Stamp
Design
: Nancy Tichbourne, Akaroa, NZ
Printer
: Joh. Enschedé, The Netherlands
Process
: Offset Lithography
Paper
: Sopal Satimat 110 gsm
Stamp
Size
: 40.00 x 36.00mm four vertical stamps
Miniature Sheet Size : 75mm x 82mm
Perforation Gauge : 13 x 13.25
Sheet
: Panes of 2 x 25 stamps
First Day Covers :
$6.70
with four stamps
: $4.20 with the sheetlet
Local Pitcairn cats were patiently photographed by Karen MacDonald, the wife of Rob MacDonald who was the Education Officer/Government Adviser on Pitcairn last year.
Alicat
Pulau
is the schoolhouse cat, descended from a long line of Pitcairn cats and
cared for by three different families who have lived in the schoolhouse
at Pulau, since Alicat’s birth some six years ago. She quickly
attaches
herself to her new family and follows them about on walks, some
distance
from the house. She will try to take over a chair that someone
may
be occupying, or take over the bed at night. Alicat is a great
ratter
and well behaved.
Nala
Brown is a New Zealand born cat, taken back to Pitcairn to help
re-build
the cat population. Initially she was Ariel Brown’s cat.
Ariel
says that she has a fondness for eating fish, rice and cat biscuits but
recently took a liking to some duck meat her father Dave, traded for
aboard
a visiting cruise ship. Dave recently took Nala to Tedside in the
hope that she would help re-populate that side of the island with cats
in an effort to control rats among the banana palms and citrus trees.
Simba
and Miti Christian both live at Big Fence, where they are cared for by
Steve, Olive and Dobrey Christian. Like most Pitcairn cats, they
are both excellent hunters and both enjoy eating fish. Miti is
perhaps
more of an indoor cat and enjoys sleeping on the couch.
Cats have held an elevated place in Pitcairn society since the Bounty arrived; perhaps more so than in most other places. In 1838, Captain Elliot of HMS Fly established Pitcairn’s first recorded Constitution and laws. Apart from making Pitcairn perhaps the first country in the world to give universal suffrage to both men and women 18 years old and over, these laws included sections entitled Laws for Dogs, Laws for Cats and Laws for Hogs.
It was
unlawful
for a dog to kill a cat, the penalty payable by the dog’s owner, being
$50. At some point after 1864, a law was enacted that provided
for
the imprisonment of dogs for chasing cats. In 1893 the
Constitution
was revised and the death penalty was prescribed as punishment for dogs
chasing cats. During 1904 however, this law was abolished.
Pitcairners are able to relate the lineages of their cats, sometimes several generations back. Although valued as pets, cats have been kept as a means of controlling rats. Over the years, many were intentionally released into the wild to help control rats particularly around vegetable gardens. A substantial feral cat population grew until 1996 when, as part of an attempt to eradicate rats, feral cats were shot due to a fear that with one food source removed, they would most likely focus upon the bird population. Those cats that were not shot, died of secondary poisoning, as did many of the domestic cats, much to the distress of their owners. The bird population however, has recovered dramatically.
Following a second unsuccessful attempt to eradicate rats, the Pitcairners sought to rebuild their cat numbers and several cats were imported from New Zealand. Again the Pitcairners are releasing them into the wild, particularly in the areas of the island where they have their gardens, in an effort to help control rats.