Children's cat-killing contest canceled due to protests

Critics said it would be very difficult for children to distinguish wild cats from domestic cats

A competition in New Zealand in which children were offered a wildcat shooting award that was canceled after protests, and critics called it cruel and inappropriate.

Children under the age of 14 were encouraged to kill as many wild cats as possible, and have a chance to win a cash prize of 250 New Zealand dollars — about 125 pounds sterling.

For the first time in a hunting competition, a category for wild cats was included.

But the competition in the Canterbury area in the South Island had to be canceled after the organizers were inundated criticism.

Organizers of the North Canterbury Hunting Competition, due to take place over the next months, said they were «incredibly disappointed» by the backlash.

«We are disappointed and apologize to those who were delighted to be part of something regarding the protection of our native birds and other vulnerable species,” the Facebook group wrote.

Critics said it would be very difficult for children to distinguish wild cats from domestic cats.

“Extremely concerned”

They also said that teenagers armed with air rifles would not be able to quickly and humanely deal with cats. .

The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it was «extremely concerned» about the competition.

False cats are a huge problem in New Zealand because they prey on native birds and mammals that have evolved without protection from predators.

The population was first established in the 18th century after cats traveling on British merchant ships were brought ashore.

By now they have colonized almost the entire country. Cats in the Alpine ranges of the South Island can grow particularly large, with one male caught weighing seven kilograms.

«Wild cats have a big impact on New Zealand's native and non-native species,» Department of Conservation. it says on his website.

“The basis of their diet changes depending on the habitat they live in. They feed on rabbits, birds and bird eggs, rats, hares, bats, lizards, mice, weta (giant flightless crickets) and other insects.

' It's a very emotional topic.»

Dr Helen Blackie, a biosecurity expert who has studied feral cats, told Radio New Zealand: «Historically, we know that feral cats are responsible for the extinction of six species of birds and are the leading agents in the decline of bird populations. bats, frogs and lizards.

«This is a very emotional issue and it's an area where we're probably lagging behind the rest of the world right now in terms of recognizing the damage caused by feral cats and the methods we need to use to control them.»

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Many locals in the region have welcomed the competition, stating that feral cats need to be culled due to their impact on wildlife, from flightless kakapo parrots to seabirds and skinks.

“If only humans knew the damage the wild cats were doing all around,” one woman wrote on social media.

“They also [have] an impact on our agriculture. Wild cats carry disease…we will shoot them as long as we see them.”

Cats are just one of the many species that were introduced by Europeans during the colonial era and are now a serious threat to New Zealand's native wildlife.

Others include rats, mice, hares, hedgehogs, stoats and opossums from Australia that gnaw through the native forest, as well as chamois and several species of deer that have been introduced for hunting .