Feral Cat Hunting for Kids in New Zealand Scrapped After Backlash

A hunting contest in New Zealand came under fire for adding a category in which youngsters under the age of 14 had to kill as many feral cats as they could. In response, they dropped the said category.

Feral Cat Hunting Scrapped

The North Canterbury Hunting Competition dropped the controversial category, which was first announced on April 14 and would have allowed kids to shoot stray cats for a NZ$250 ($155) cash award. In a statement obtained by Newsweek, the organizer scrapped the category to avoid further backlash.

SAFE, an animal rights group in New Zealand, was among the outraged groups, claiming that kids couldn't tell the difference between a pet and a stray cat. Although the contest's rules stated that participants who murdered someone else's pet would be disqualified, this was "too little, too late," an animal rights group representative said because the microchip would only be discovered after the has been killed, per The New York Times.

They also argued that it's bad enough that kids are taught and encouraged to kill small animals. For the organization, the competition glorifies hunting animals.

Why Hunting Feral Cats Are Allowed?

However, supporters, including the event's organizers, have maintained that the event would have taught kids how to manage invasive species properly and that feral cats are predators that must be exterminated. They demanded the return of the cat hunt.

According to one of the organizers, Mat Bailey, the program was intended to educate kids about the larger problem of invasive species rather than encourage them to kill cats.

He added that since kids would already be out there using rifles for hunting rabbits, possums, rats, and other invasive animals as part of the competition, which would go over a weekend, they might as well include the cat since it's the worst of the bunch.

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He explained that the issue with invasive animals, not just cats, must be addressed. The purpose of the event was to teach children about firearm safety. It was also a nice activity for them in general because it got them outside and made them aware that invasive animals were wiping out native species.

Although he recognized that when the cat-culling event was announced last weekend, organizers had not yet set specific standards for safe hunting techniques, Mr. Bailey claimed the situation had been exaggerated. He explained that the committee had planned for adults with gun licenses and training to accompany youngsters and that hunters would coordinate with nearby landowners to avoid potential hotspots for domestic cats.

The public mostly supports New Zealand's strict strategy to eliminate unwanted species, and activities to shoot feral animals are frequent. Children and adults participate in a yearly "Great Easter Bunny Hunt" in the South Island town of Alexandra to kill feral rabbits.