Image from Network for Animals

Our thanks to Network for Animals for the information and petition we are sharing below. It only takes a moment to sign!

From Network for Animals:

On New Zealand’s South Island, the cruel slaughter of cats is disguised as conservation in the North Canterbury Hunting Competition. This horrifying event, which is open to adults and children of any age, offers prizes to hunters who shoot the most cats, justifying it by saying there are too many in the area and that they are killing native wildlife. It is cruel, inhumane, ethically unacceptable and scientifically flawed. There are humane, long-term solutions to overpopulation issues. 

Please sign this petition to urge the New Zealand government to ban cat hunts and protect children from taking part in cruelty to animals.

View our open letter to Mayor Marie Black and Deputy Mayor Vince Daly of the Hurunui District here.

View our open letter to the Ministers of Hunting, Conservation, Agriculture, Environment and Children here.

Why the North Canterbury Hunting Competition must stop:

Killing cats doesn’t work – and it’s cruel

Despite what the hunt’s organizers claim, many of the cats are not killed humanely. Instead, they suffer slow, painful deaths from gunshot wounds, traps and unskilled handling. This is clearly animal cruelty. The North Canterbury Hunting Competition turns slaughter into a sport; no animal should be hunted for points and prizes.

Hunting ignores the cause of the homeless cat crisis

New Zealand does not have a national cat sterilization policy, which would make pet sterilization compulsory. Instead, unsterilized cats continue to breed in the wilderness, exacerbating the problem. These cats are simply doing what they can to survive after humans abandoned them – and now they are being hunted for the crime of existing.

The vacuum effect: Killing just brings more cats

When cats are killed or removed from an area, other cats simply move in, take advantage of the available resources and breed indiscriminately. This is called the vacuum effect, and it makes the hunt pointless. Rather, by sterilizing an area’s cats, the cats themselves keep control of the area until they naturally die out.

Children should not be involved in killing animals

Involving children in the killing of animals under the guise of “conservation” is dangerous and deeply troubling. It risks:

• Normalising violence and desensitising children to animal suffering.
• Promoting the idea that cruelty is an acceptable form of wildlife management.
• Creating long-term emotional and psychological harm by encouraging young people to harm sentient beings.

Thank you!