A New Zealand hunting competition has prompted uproar over a new category where children compete to kill as many feral cats as possible for a cash prize.
The North Canterbury Hunting Competition announced the new category on Saturday, where children 14 and under will hunt feral cats for the possibility of a $250 prize.
“There is a good chance someone’s pet may be killed during this event,” they said. “In addition, children often use air rifles in these sorts of events which increase the likelihood of pain and distress, and can cause a prolonged death.”
Feral – and domestic – cats are a serious threat to biodiversity and native wildlife in New Zealand. They eat endangered native birds and eggs, lizards, bats and insects. The issue of their control has previously been a heated political matter: in 2013, political campaigner and founder of the Opportunities Party Gareth Morgan made headlines when he called for all of New Zealand’s cats to be eradicated, and dubbed them “natural-born killers” and “sadists of the animal kingdom”.
Thank God it has been scrapped. What an awful idea in the first place.
Kiwis are cat lovers, almost every household has one.
Who ever thought about getting children involved in killing cats is a good idea, must be in need of a lobotomy.
There has to be a better method to get rid of feral cats. Perhaps trapping them and euthanize them humanly?
Of course pet cats need to be chipped, so they don't get killed by mistake.
Thank God it has been scrapped. What an awful idea in the first place. Kiwis are cat lovers, almost every household has one. Who ever thought about getting children involved in killing cats is a good idea, must be in need of a lobotomy.
There has to be a better method to get rid of feral cats. Perhaps trapping them and euthanize them humanly? Of course pet cats need to be chipped, so they don't get killed by mistake.
I think there should be a bounty on them. Teach kids all sorts of lessons about hard work, the cycle of life, biology and protecting the environment.
$5 for every dead feral cat should solve the problem of the native fauna being threatened by these nasty imports.
