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New Zealand legally recognizes animals as sentient beings but plans on brutally killing hundreds of millions by 2050.
"These kids are out to kill every stoat, possum and rat in the country..."
This morning I awoke to two new items about New Zealand's war on wildlife, the goal of which is to kill all invasive predators, aka "pests," by 2050. The first is a short video about one program in which youngsters 5-11 years of age are taught to kill these animals by an arguably conservation-minded teacher who admits she's running a propaganda campaign. It's described as, "New Zealand's got an invasive mammal problem. These kids are out to kill every stoat, possum and rat in the country, before the creatures kill the country's native birds." They're also encouraged to "know your enemy" and get rid of these unwelcomed guests. One can be sure that these sentient beings are not going to be killed with kindness, an inane claim offered up by Nicola Toki, the Threatened Species Ambassador of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DoC).
I've watched the film three times and that's more than enough to sense that this sort of authoritarian messaging will have long-term effects. Many kids understandably do what they're told to do by teachers and adults, and it's not all that hard to breed a generation of animal abusers. For example, it's well known that violence toward nonhumans is linked to violence toward humans, and people in New Zealand, with its extremely high rates of domestic violence, should be very concerned about the possible negative effects of these early lessons in inhumane education toward other animals (for more discussion on this topic please see "Imprinting Kids for Violence Toward Animals," "Long-Term Effects of Violence Toward Animals by Youngsters," "Youngsters Encouraged to Kill Possum Joeys in New Zealand," "The Link Between Violence Toward Nonhuman Animals and Humans," and links therein).
All in all, it's unnerving to imagine how this early training to harm and to kill might continue to be displayed when these youngsters become adults, and how killing other animals, sanctioned by educators and school systems, will play out and be transmitted to future generations.
It's also ironic that New Zealand legally recognizes nonhumans as sentient beings, yet wants to kill hundreds of millions of creatures with rich and deep emotional lives. One of the men interviewed in the film admits he and others are out to kill amazing and intelligent animals.
It's a very bad time to be a bunny in New Zealand
The second piece about New Zealand's killing ways is an essay available online by Nikki Mandow called "Bye bye Easter bunnies." Ms. Mandow focuses on a bunny eradication program to begin next week in which the hemorrhagic RHDV1 (K5) rabbit virus will be introduced. She writes, "It won’t be a pleasant death. Scientific studies show the virus can take 2-4 days to kill a rabbit and is painful. It can cause fever, spasms, blood clots, difficulty breathing and hemorrhaging of organs like the heart, lungs and kidneys."
I've argued that releasing the virus is utterly immoral and reprehensible and that there is absolutely no justification for doing this. Of course, many people disagree with me. However, there also are a good number of New Zealanders who agree, some of whom have sent me emails noting how offended and disgusted they are with the ongoing and planned slaughter of millions of animals (for more discussion please see "Does Everybody Really Hate Possums? The Bandwagon Effect" and "Predator Free 2050 and The Call to Arms"). And, it seems as if more and more people are speaking out about the rampant slaughter of the animals as they learn about what's happening and the methods that are being used and will continue to be used in the future.
How will media and people from different cultures deal with the slaughter of the bunnies? "Cruelty can't stand the spotlight"
“Bunny rabbits are seen as cute creatures in other parts of the world and the thought of cute creatures suffering awful deaths will be deeply offensive and problematic for many visitors.”
In addition to exposing the bunny killing campaign, another very important aspect of Ms. Mandow's essay centers on how media and people from different cultures will view the slaughter of the bunnies. She writes, "Over the course of the autumn the virus will be released around top tourism hotspots like Queenstown, Wanaka, Dunedin, Pauanui, Thames and Taupo. And that's set two South Island tourism academics wondering about the possibility that a shocked visitor faced with dead or diseased rabbits could start a viral social media campaign that might put people off visiting our 100 percent Pure land." James Higham, professor of sustainable tourism at Otago University agrees, and notes that there are cultural differences in how people view other animals, including rabbits. He recalls how a group of tourists were of the opinion "You introduced these species, right? So they belong here now, whether you like it or not; they are now part of your ecology, whether you like it or not.”
Where to from here? Spread the word far and wide about New Zealand's killing fields
My suggestion is that readers take the time to watch the video of the youngsters being taught to kill and also to read Ms. Mandow's essay and share them widely. It's also essential to note that not all kids want to learn to kill (for more discussion please see "Violence Toward Animals: 'Can You Please Help My Daughter?'" and links therein).
All in all, I hope that everyone in New Zealand who opposes killing "pests" and killing contests that include youngsters and adults will speak out against such unnecessary violence. There are many lessons to be learned by adopting the basic principles of compassionate conservation, namely, First Do No harm, Individuals Matter, Valuing All Wildlife, and Peaceful Coexistence. Simply put, conservation is a moral pursuit and demands clear ethical guidelines (for further discussion please see "Compassionate Conservation Matures and Comes of Age" and links therein).
There's no reason at all to glorify killing and disrespect for other beings. And, there will be massive amounts of harm and suffering among the millions of sentient beings who are to be slaughtered. So-called "killing with kindness" is neither the panacea nor is it an acceptable excuse for slaughtering other animals. Ms. Toki writes, “The key to getting it right is to hold onto empathy for other living things along the way.” So, killing other animals is just fine as long as the killers feel for the animals they’re slaughtering. I can imagine some people saying or thinking something like, “I know I’m causing you pain as I kill you, but please understand I’m doing it with kindness because it has to be done.” Of course, the animals who are killed couldn’t care less about how their one and only life is taken.
Speaking out against violence toward other animals and spreading the word about what is being done is one way to call attention to what is happening and to attract others who agree with this point of view. Gretchen Wyler once said "Cruelty can't stand the spotlight" and she is right on the mark. As like-minded people discover one another and speak out on behalf of other animals, things can change and nonhuman and human animals will benefit from the kindness, compassion, and respect that is shared. Therein lies hope for the future. It's time to close down the killing fields once and for all.
