Gun group pushing for the right to shoot cats (Australia)
The Sporting Shooters Association of Victoria (Australia) wants the State Government to change the law to allow hunters to kill any cat it considers a risk to native fauna. The push to legally destroy family pets and feral cats is among a range of changes the group is seeking. They include new hunting seasons for cockatoos and galahs, the vulnerable crested pigeon and new regulations for slaying of eastern grey kangaroos.
In a report requesting amendments to wildlife regulations, the association says destruction of native wildlife in Victorian forests could be "partly mitigated if there was a provision to destroy cats within specified distances of dwellings. "Cats within 200 metres of dwellings or on public land should be considered a danger to native fauna. Such animals within these areas should be able to be legally destroyed," the report says.
The report is expected to be given to the Baillieu Government mid-year.