A competition in New Zealand for children to hunt and kill feral cats has been scrapped following public outcry.
A major animal welfare group yesterday welcomed the decision.
Organizers of an annual hunting competition caused an uproar when they announced a new category for children under 14 to hunt feral cats for a top prize of NZ$250 (US$154).
Photo: AFP
The category, which came with a warning for youngsters not to kill pets, has been scrapped, the organizers said in a statement on Tuesday.
The New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it was “both pleased and relieved that the children’s category which involved shooting feral cats has been removed.”
“Children, as well as adults, will not be able to tell the difference between a feral, stray or a frightened domesticated cat,” a society spokesperson said.
The overall competition, which is going ahead with other categories for hunting wild pigs and deer, is being run as a fundraiser by Rotherham School in the country’s South Island.
The organizers said “vile and inappropriate e-mails” had been sent “to the school and others involved.”
“Our sponsors and school safety are our main priority, so the decision has been made to withdraw this category for this year to avoid further backlash,” the organizers wrote on Facebook.
Feral cats are considered a pest in New Zealand, where they have a major impact on native birds, bats, lizards, mice and insects, the New Zealand Department of Conservation said.
ZOO INCIDENT
Separately a man was arrested at the country’s Auckland Zoo yesterday after he broke into an enclosure and took a leisurely bath in a moat next to “startled” rhinos and antelopes.
Social media footage of the incident showed the man floating on his back, before washing his face and rinsing his hair.
The enclosure is home to rhinos and nyalas, a breed of spiral-horned antelope.
The animals “were understandably startled by the intruder,” a zoo spokesperson said.
The man was said to be in the moat “for a number of minutes” before responding to instructions by zoo staff to get out of the water and return to the visitor’s path.
He was escorted off the premises and handed to police.
Zoo director Kevin Buley said he was “very relieved” that there were no injuries to the animals or visitors of the zoo as a result of the incident.
“We hope that the man involved gets the help and support that he very clearly needs,” he added.
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