Cat-hunting contest drew death threats
A feral cat hunting competition for children was canned because of an influx of threats and abuse, but organisers remain committed to the event at large.
Mat Bailey, president of the committee behind the North Canterbury Hunting Competition, said the ‘‘most feral cats’’ junior category was just one of several categories available, created to encourage kids to get outdoors.
The annual hunting competition was a popular community event, the proceeds of which helped pay for an extra teacher at Rotherham School, which had a roll of 38.
‘‘It’s great for the community, gets the kids outside . . . gives it a bit more meaning, knowing they’re going to help their school,’’ Bailey said.
The school board had to front $50,000 to employ a third teacher. Last year’s competition raised $10,000 towards that cost, and a further $10,000 for the local pool.
However, Bailey said the backlash to the ‘‘most feral cats’’ category had resulted in death threats and a threat to burn down the school.
‘‘Activists were targeting the school heavily . . . It’s not run by the school, but by local families and farmers,’’ he said.
The threats would be reported to police and/or NetSafe, he said.
Critics of the category were concerned about the risk of pets being harmed and of the welfare of any animal that a junior hunter – aged 14 or under – may shoot but not immediately kill.
There were also no clear rules around supervision, location or calibre of weapon. Organisers posted to social media on April 15 warning participants that any microchipped cats in their bounty would disqualify them, and were referred to a Department of Conservation (DOC) webpage to learn the difference between feral and non-feral cats.
The problem was the page acknowledged there was no difference in appearance, with Craig Gillies, principal science adviser for DOC, calling it ‘‘virtually impossible’’.
Bailey said after pushback began, the committee sat down to come up with concrete rules. ‘‘But within 24 hours we thought, ah, we’ve got to push this.’’
He expected all participants to follow respectful hunting etiquette, such as staying away from urban areas, getting permission from landowners to hunt, and not shooting anything without identifying it.
‘‘Going forward, these cats are a major problem in New Zealand. We’d like to find an avenue to make this [category] possible in some way,’’ he said.
That could include working with DOC or other organisations in getting traps, to guarantee any target could be checked before being shot, he said.
This was the second year the
North Canterbury Hunting Competition would run in its current form. Formerly a pig hunt, Bailey said it was now a family friendly event. This year would feature a helicopter lolly scramble, a country singing performance, and options for food and drink.
He said it took 12 months of planning and 50 volunteers to make it happen, not including people who would lend a hand on the day transporting carcasses to the scrutineers.
Bailey said they would not respond to animal welfare organisations that had approached them at this stage, but next year may seek advice.
Meanwhile, the SPCA said it was still attempting to make contact with the organisers of the event.
They were also investigating the death of a North Canterbury cat, which died on Monday last week of sepsis because of an air rifle wound.
While there was no direct link to the competition, a spokesperson said it was an example of how animals could experience harm and painful, prolonged death.
Gillies said DOC ‘‘absolutely’’ supported members of the public participating in feral cat control, however they should be trained and use a weapon with sufficient calibre.
The owner of the cat, which was microchipped, has yet to be found.