Traps set for exotic species in some Keys refuges

BIG PINE KEY, Fla. (AP) — U.S. officials say they'll be removing feral cats and other exotic predators from federal wildlife refuges in the Florida Keys.

According to a pest management plan released Monday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, traps will be set in national wildlife refuges from Key Largo to the islands off Key West.

Officials say snakes, iguanas, feral cats and other non-native species prey on threatened and endangered species in the refuges.

Cats caught in the traps will be transferred to a Monroe County animal control shelter. Other non-native animals found in the traps will be killed. Raccoons and other native wildlife caught by the traps will be released.

Officials urge people to keep cats and exotic pets indoors and to report any sighting of an invasive species in the wild.