The organisers of a North Canterbury kids contest for "most feral cats hunted" have withdrawn the feral cat category from the upcoming hunting competition after backlash from animal rights activists.
Announcing the move on Facebook tonight, the North Canterbury Hunting Competition said "some vile and inappropriate emails and messages" had been sent to Rotherham School — which the contest aimed to raise money for — and others involved.
"We are incredibly disappointed in this reaction," the Facebook post read.
"Our sponsors and school safety are our main priority, so the decision has been made to withdraw this category for this year to avoid further backlash at this time.
"We are disappointed and apologise for those who were excited to be involved in something that is about protecting out native birds, and other vulnerable species.
"Please remember we are a group of volunteers who are trying to raise money for our local school and pool."
'We should be teaching our tamariki empathy towards animals' - SAFE
A number of activists had earlier expressed concerns that cats which aren't feral would be caught in the crossfire.
"It's bad enough that young people are being taught and encouraged to kill small animals," SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said.
"There is little to no difference in the physical appearance of feral, stray and pet cats."
Appelbe highlighted that similar competitions have drawn criticism in the past.
"We should be teaching our tamariki empathy towards animals, not handing them the tools to kill them," he said.
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