A competition offering a prize to the child killing the most feral cats has been cancelled after a backlash.
The annual competition was part of a fundraising campaign taking place this summer in North Canterbury on New Zealand’s South Island.
While pet cats were designated as off limits, with entrants killing one reportedly being eliminated from the competition, the youngster who killed the most feral felines between now and the end of June would have won £125.
New Zealand’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it was relieved that the “children’s category, which involved shooting feral cats” would not go ahead, the BBC reported. The charity had said there was a “good chance” a pet cat would be killed and that the use of air rifles could cause “pain and distress” to animals.
The Animal welfare charity Safe told local media outlet 1News: “We should be teaching our tamariki [children] empathy towards animals, not handing them the tools to kill them.”
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The cat category was part of a wider animal hunting competition that involves hundreds of people competing to kill wild pigs, deer and hares.
Organisers of the hunting competition said they had received “vile and inappropriate” messages. A Facebook post read: “We are disappointed and apologise for those who were excited to be involved in something that is about protecting our native birds, and other vulnerable species.”
Supporters of the event argue it is a “controlled cull”. New Zealand’s feral cats have been estimated to kill 1.1 million native birds every year.
