John MacDonald: Animal rights or clutching at straws?

I think the animal welfare people are clutching at straws with this last-minute legal action they’re taking to try and stop this weekend’s feral cat hunt.

You’ll know the event. It’s all part of the North Canterbury Hunting Competition. Which raises funds for Rotherham School.

It hit the headlines a few years back when people got all excited that wild cats were going to be included.

As they should be. Because they’re a pain in the backside. Wildcats are pests.

But we had people jumping to all sorts of conclusions. Saying it was going to be impossible to tell whether a cat was wild or domestic. And pet cats could end up being killed. A lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Well, the wailing and gnashing is happening all over again. Except, this time, the animal rights people are going next level and taking legal action to try and stop it.

And wait ‘til you hear some of the claims they’re making.

They being former regional councillor Kathy White, NZ Cat Foundation founder Anne Batley-Burton and a bunch of animal and child protection advocates.

Let’s start with the animal side of it. Because that’s pretty much more of the same.

With Kathy White saying today that “bounty-based slaughter will incentivise the catching of any cat, including pets.”

She says: “We know from watching videos of previous hunts that people pay little attention to checking the cat for a microchip.”

Going on to say: “One video of a dog about to catch a cat cuts out just as the dog is about to tear the cat apart. Not only do they have no idea if the cat is a pet, but there are serious Animal Welfare Act breaches, and we want it stopped.”

The hunt organisers are poo-pooing that. Saying any cat has to be 10 kilometres away from any residential or lifestyle block before it’s taken out. Box traps need to be checked daily, and kids need to be hunting with adults who have a firearms licence.

That’s good enough for me.

But here’s where things get really weird.

The anti-cat-hunt people are now also claiming that the United Nations might also be unhappy about this wildcat hunt. Because they’re saying today that it may contravene the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Saying kids shouldn’t be exposed to violence against animals.

They’ve got a letter from an international law firm, apparently, which has been signed by several animal and child protection organisations and says kids being involved in the wild cat hunt isn’t consistent with New Zealand’s international child rights obligations.

But let’s remember where this hunt is happening and the kids who are going to be involved.

It’s rural and these are farming kids who hunt, anyway. They’ve been brought up with it. Which is exactly what competition organiser Mat Bailey is saying.

He says: “They’ve seen Dad kill a sheep every month. It’s farming. It’s rural New Zealand, and that’s the thing that these people don’t get because they live in their little Auckland world thinking everything’s lovey-dovey. Well, sorry, it’s not how it works.”

Amen to that. Which is why these people need to give it a rest and tell the lawyers to stand down.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News TALKS'B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
I think the animal welfare people, Yes, they're in the
news again today. I think the animal welfare people are
clutching at straws with this last minute legal action they're
taking to try and stop this weekend's wild cat hunt
or feral hat cat hunt. Call it what you want,

(00:33):
now you will, you'll know the event. It's all part
of the North Canterbury hunting competition which raises funds for
rotherham S. Called brilliant event and I hit the headlines
a few years back when people got all excited that
wild cats were going to be included. Remember that as
they should be, because wildcats are pain of the backside,

(00:53):
wildcats are pests. But of course we had people jumping
to all sorts of conclusions saying it was going to
be impossible to tell whether a cat was wild or
domestic and pet cats could end up being killed a
whole lot of what would you call it whaling and
gnashing of teeth. Well, the whaling and nashing is happening
all over again, except this time the animal rights people

(01:18):
are going next level and they're taking legal action to
try and stop it, so it's on the weekend. They've
got the lawyers involved. They don't want a bar of it.
And wait till you hear some of the claims they're making.
They being former Regional councilor Kathy White, New Zealand Cat
Foundation founder and Batley Burton and a whole bunch of

(01:40):
animal and child protection advocates. Let's start with the animal
side of it, shall we, because that's pretty much more
of the same, with Kathy White saying today that quote
bounty based slaughter will incentivize the catching of any cat,
including pets. She says, we know from watching videos of

(02:00):
previous hunts that people pay little attention to checking the
cat for a microchip. Oh really, yes, She goes on
to say, one video of a dog about to catch
a cat cuts out just as the dog is about
to tear the cat apart. She says, not only do
they have no idea if the cat is a pet,

(02:21):
but there are serious Animal Welfare Act breaches and we
want it stopped now. The hunt organizers are poopooing that.
They're saying any cat has to be ten kilometers away
from any residential or lifestyle block. Before it can be
taken out box traps. They're gonna be checked every day,
and kids need to be hunting with adults who have

(02:42):
a firearms license. That's good enough for me. Don't need
any more reassurances, thanks guys. But here's where things get
really weird. The anti cat hunt people are now also
claiming that the United Nations might also be unhappy about
this wild cat hunt because they're saying today, hmmm, put

(03:05):
your tea down, saying today that it may contravene the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, saying
that kids shouldn't be exposed to violence against animals. Now
that apparently they've got a letter from an international law
firm which has been signed by several animal and child
protection organizations and says kids being involved in the wildcat

(03:29):
hunt isn't consistent with New Zealand's international child rights obligations.
Can you believe it? Especially when you consider where this
hunt is happening and the kids who are going to
be involved in it. It's rural and these are farming
kids who hunt. Anyway, I'll being brought up with it,

(03:53):
which is exactly what competition organizer Matt Bailey is saying today.
He says, yeah, we've heard enough from the animal welfare people.
Let's bring him in. He says, quite, They've seen dad
kill a sheep every month. It's farming, it's rural New Zealand.
And that's the thing that these people don't get because
they live in their little Auckland world thinking everything's lovey dovey,

(04:13):
he's good. Goes on to say, well, sorry, it's not
how it works, end of quote, and amen to that.
These people they need to give it a rest and
they need to tell the lawyers to stand down.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
Caterby Mornings. For more from Catebory Mornings with John McDonald.
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