New Zealand feral cat hunting competition for children prompts backlash

So, I read this article about a feral cat hunting competition in New Zealand that’s causing a lot of uproar. Apparently, a group of hunters are organizing this event for kids as young as eight years old to hunt and kill as many feral cats as they can within a designated time frame.

The organizers say it’s to protect native wildlife, but animal rights activists are outraged and say that it’s inhumane and cruel. There are also concerns about the safety of children and the potential for the event to foster a disturbing lack of empathy towards animals.

Now, I’m not a big fan of hunting, but I’ve got to admit, I do get the argument about protecting wildlife. When I used to live in the countryside, my garden was constantly getting raided by rabbits and foxes, and it was a real struggle to keep them at bay. But, hunting feral cats just seems like a step too far for me.

Plus, involving kids in something like this just feels wrong. While it’s important to teach children about the importance of protecting and respecting animals, I’m not sure that killing them is the best way to do it.

All in all, I think this competition is a pretty controversial topic that raises a lot of ethical questions. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out and whether the organizers decide to rethink their approach.