Last weekend, in rural North Canterbury, 1,500 hunters gathered to participate in the annual feral cat killing contest. Organizers of the event announced that they would be expanding the competition next year after this year’s successful event where hunters killed a total of 370 feral cats, along with wild boars, possums, rats and deer.
The most recent contest attracted a significant number of children accompanied by adults, who were excited to take part in the exciting event. Feral cats are notorious for their destructive behavior and prey on endangered birds, bats and lizards. The New Zealand Department of Conservation has emphasized the need to eradicate them as they have pushed some species to the brink of extinction.
One hunter was awarded $608 for killing the largest feral cat weighing 6.7 kg while another won a cash prize of $304 for killing the most feral cats, 65. Matt Bailey, organizer of the event said that they are going to continue what they have been doing and increase the prize money next year to make it bigger and better. He called feral cats “the devil” because of their destructive behavior towards native wildlife and livestock.
While many conservation groups want to include feral cats in New Zealand’s plan to eradicate pests by 2050 alongside stoats, rats, possums and ferrets; the issue is sensitive in New Zealand where nearly half of households have cats as pets. However, Bailey argues that feral cats pose a serious threat to native wildlife and livestock and must be controlled if New Zealand is to achieve its goal of eradicating pests by 2050.
