Town Outraged After Dead Bunny Toss Cancelled

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - A New Zealand town has cancelled its annual dead bunny toss after protests from animal welfare groups, and many residents aren't happy about it.

For decades, the annual dead rabbit-tossing contest for children has been held in Waiau, New Zealand, as part of a celebration that includes a massive pig hunt, according to UPI . Kids under 14 were to toss the carcasses of rabbits they had killed while hunting with their parents.

This year the event has been cancelled after criticism from the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (see video report below). Charles Cadwallader, an animal cruelty inspector with the charity, said throwing dead rabbits around for fun is disgusting.

"Do you throw your dead grandmother around for a joke at her funeral?" Cadwallader asked.

Most of the 400 people who live in Waiau don't see it that way though. They are disappointed by the decision and believe the event is not an example of animal cruelty.

"You know, the children of the community here are fantastic, they love their animals," said Jo Moriarty, organizer of the massive pig hunt.

Rabbits are one of New Zealand's biggest pests . Introduced in the 1830s to provide game for sportsmen and remind settlers of home, they reached plague proportions by the 1870s, stripping vegetation and causing erosion. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry , rabbits cause an estimated $22 million damage to the economy each year in control costs and lost production.