New Zealand: Children to shoot freed cats – animal rights activists block action

This year, the organizers of the annual hunting competition created a separate category for cat hunting, in which children under 14 years of age must participate. The prize money is 250 New Zealand dollars (140 francs). As a precaution, a warning is also given, no modesty Domestic cats to kill After strong protests, the hunt has now been partially cancelled.

However, the organizers didn’t count on the outrage their initiative sparked on the Internet. A scavenger hunt to raise funds for a school in New Zealand’s South Island is now taking place without the children’s cat hunt.

“Cruel and inappropriate emails”

Animal rights activists expressed relief at the decision on Wednesday. “Like adults, children cannot distinguish between a feral cat, a stray cat or a frightened house cat,” said a spokeswoman for the SPCA animal welfare organisation.

For their part, organizers were appalled by the strong reactions to the planned cat hunt for children. They wrote on Facebook that the school and others involved had received “disgusting and inappropriate emails”. To avoid further negative reactions, they decided to “retire the division for this year”.

Once upon a time introduced feral cats were a plague in New Zealand. According to the ministry responsible for the conservation of native flora and fauna, they pose a serious threat to local wildlife, especially birds.

(dpa/fos)