A contest encouraged children to hunt feral cats — until the backlash
Washington PostAPR 2023
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.
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.