New Zealand's government-run Predator Free 2050 Program officially added feral cats to its eradication target list. Animal welfare advocates have argued that the culling approach is inhumane and ineffective.
The nationwide initiative aims to eliminate introduced species the Department of Conservation considers threats to native wildlife. Originally targeting rats and possums, the program now sanctions and encourages New Zealanders to assist in hunting feral cats as well.
But Alley Cat Rescue, a national nonprofit organization, opposed the addition with a letter signed by 178 scientists, veterinarians, and animal control experts.
The correspondence cited scientific evidence that eradicating feral cats across the country is inhumane and impossible. It stated that large-scale sterilization efforts would likely be more effective.
The organization also urged people to sign and circulate a petition demanding the government end cat culling and establish trap-neuter-return programs instead.
"Killing cats is not a solution — it's an illusion of action," Louise Holton, Alley Cat Rescue's president and founder, said in a press release from the organization. "The vacant territory left behind is quickly re-populated, breeding restarts, and the problem returns. This approach wastes resources as well as guarantees failure."
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The controversy reflects ongoing debates around balancing native species protection and humane animal management. The Predator Free program, first established in 2016, will now target over 2.5 million feral cats that threaten native species, such as the southern dotterel.
"In order to boost biodiversity, to boost heritage landscape and to boost the type of place we want to see, we've got to get rid of some of these killers," Conservation Minister Tama Potaka previously told The Guardian.
Feral cats do prey on vulnerable native birds and small mammals. However, animal welfare experts argue that lethal control creates other issues as new cats move into vacant territories when reproduction isn't addressed.
Trap-neuter-return programs sterilize feral cats and return them to their territories, preventing reproduction and maintaining boundaries that discourage new arrivals. Advocates say they help reduce populations without extended extermination campaigns.
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"New Zealand is full of proud cat owners, and domestic pets are not part of this Predator Free target," Potaka said. "Responsible ownership, desexing, microchipping, and keeping cats away from wildlife, remains an important part of the solution."
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