Criticized By The Bad, New Zealand's Cat Hunting Competition Organizer Canceled

Illustration- (Photo: Bogdanf/Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The cat hunting competition by children in New Zealand was finally canceled following heavy criticism. In New Zealand, stray cats are rated as pests. Young people are told not to kill pets, but instead they are encouraged to kill as many stray cats as possible to get a reward. The incident immediately drew criticism from the animal welfare group. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals New Zealand on Tuesday was relieved by this cancellation. A representative argued that children, along with adults, would not be able to distinguish between "ille, stray, or frightened pet cats", according to AFP quoted via the BBC, Wednesday, April 19. There are also concerns that home cats could get caught in a shootout, one of the former hunting sponsors told local media outlet Stuff. The event has been announced as part of June's fundraising hunt for a local school in Canterbury on the South Island. Competitions each year typically feature hundreds -- including children -- to compete to kill wild boars, deer, and rabbits. Meanwhile, the organizers of the Northern Canterbury Hunting Competition claimed to have received criticism via email which was called 'ridiculous and inappropriate.' "We are disappointed and apologize to those excited to get involved in something that protects our native birds and other vulnerable species," the group wrote on Facebook. The post received more than 100 comments from users, many of whom actually defended the event. People say the hunt could be a 'controlled culling' "If only people knew the damage caused by a stray cat around the place," wrote a local resident. "They also (have) an effect on our farm. Wild cats carry disease... we will only keep shooting them as long as we keep seeing them," they continued. Steps to control the wild cat population have become a subject of heated debate in New Zealand, where the animal is a major threat to the country's native species and biodiversity. New Zealand's largest conservation group, the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, estimates that stray cats can be responsible for the deaths of as many as 1.1 million native birds each year, as well as tens of millions of non-bumi birds.