Fury over competition for children to kill CATS: New Zealand contest for under-14s to shoot felines sparks fears pets would be slaughtered
- Category was announced on Saturday and scrapped three days later, on Tuesday
- Animal protection society said it was ‘both pleased and relieved’ about removal
A competition in New Zealand for children to hunt and kill feral cats has been scrapped following public outcry, with a major animal welfare group welcoming the decision.
Organisers of the annual North Canterbury hunting competition caused an uproar when they announced a new category for children under 14 to hunt feral cats for a top prize of £125 (250 New Zealand dollars).
The new category was announced on Saturday and came with a warning for youngsters not to kill anyone’s pet. Bringing in a dead microchipped cat would have resulted in a disqualification for the young hunters’ entry.
The category has since been scrapped, organisers said in a statement yesterday.
New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it was ‘both pleased and relieved that the children’s category which involved shooting feral cats has been removed’.
Organisers of the annual North Canterbury hunting competition caused an uproar when they announced a new category for children under 14 to hunt feral cats for a top prize of £125 (file image of a feral cat in Australia)
The new category was announced on Saturday and came with a warning for youngsters not to kill anyone’s pet. Bringing in a dead microchipped cat would have resulted in a disqualification for the young hunters’ entry (file image of a feral cat killing a bird in Australia)
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‘Children, as well as adults, will not be able to tell the difference between a feral, stray or a frightened domesticated cat,’ said an SPCA spokesperson.
They also said in a statement: ‘Organisers have stated that cats will be scanned for the presence of a microchip to identify pet cats, however, this will be done after the animal has been shot and killed.’
The SPCA said air riffles were commonly used in hunting events, which lead to a prolonged death of animals and increases their suffering.
Calling into NZME’s Canterbury Mornings, Canterbury resident Bernie said the new category left him uneasy.
He said that entrants would try to shoot as many animals as possible, which would make them more likely to shoot a cat without determining if it’s a pet or not before pulling the trigger, the New Zealand Herald reports.
The overall competition, which is going ahead with other categories for hunting wild pigs and deer, is being run as a fundraiser by the Rotherham School in the country’s South Island.
Organisers said ‘vile and inappropriate emails’ had been sent ‘to the school and others involved’.
‘Our sponsors and school safety are our main priority, so the decision has been made to withdraw this category for this year to avoid further backlash,’ organisers wrote on Facebook.
Feral cats are a pest in New Zealand where they have a major impact on native birds, bats, lizards, mice and insects, according to the Department of Conservation.
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