New Zealand Cancels Child Cat-Killing Contest Amid Outcry

Facts

• On Tuesday, organizers of an annual hunting competition in New Zealand canceled a children's feral cat-killing event following massive backlash from animal rights groups.¹
• The North Canterbury Hunting Competition, an annual pest-killing event on New Zealand's South Island to raise money for a local school and swimming pool, had announced a new category this year for children under 14 to kill the most feral cats for a top prize of NZ$250 (US$155).²
• The children were reportedly warned not to kill pets, or else they would be expelled from the competition. Moreover, any children who produced dead microchipped cats would have their entire entry disqualified.³
• New Zealand's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Canterbury criticized the event, arguing someone's pet may be killed as it's difficult "to tell the difference between a feral, stray or frightened domestic cat based on appearance."⁴
• The competition — which sees hundreds of children and adults compete to kill wild pigs, deer, and hares — is conducted by a group of volunteers each year to raise funds for the Rotherham School.⁵
• In 2022, the children — who often use air rifles — killed 427 animals, primarily possums, hares, and rabbits.⁶
• Those in favor of reducing the cat population argue that the estimated 1.2M domestic cats in New Zealand and more than double that for feral cats are a risk to birds. The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society says feral cats kill 1.1M native birds every year and tens of millions of non-native birds.¹

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Insider, ³New York Times, ⁴Independent, ⁵ITV News, and ⁶Guardian.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by RNZ. Feral cats are predators and must be treated as pests as they decimate wildlife and biodiversity in New Zealand. Apart from regularly preying on endangered native birds, lizards, bats, and insects, they feed on young kiwi, invertebrates, and frogs. The planned cat-killing competition must be reinstated as it could teach children how to manage and cull invasive species responsibly.
• Narrative B, as provided by NZ Herald. There are more humane methods to deal with New Zealand's nefarious feral cats, including poisoning and trapping. Sending children off to hunt feral cats in a competition teaches young minds that it's OK to kill animals and that cruelty is acceptable. There are numerous ways to raise money; causing pain and distress to wild species shouldn't be one.