Positions - Animals in the Wild

SPCA is concerned with the welfare of wild animals, both native and introduced.

SPCA believes humans have a duty of care to assist wild animals found in pain or distress as a direct consequence of a human activity or interference, or because of a natural disaster.

SPCA supports the rehabilitation of wild animals when there is a reasonable expectation that they will be successfully returned back into the wild.

SPCA values New Zealand’s unique ecosystems and the welfare of all animals that call these places home. We advocate that animal welfare is critical to ensuring conservation goals and that all conservation activities include an animal welfare assessment.

SPCA advocates that wild, aquatic crustaceans, including crayfish, crabs, and lobsters, caught for food must be treated humanely at all times.

SPCA advocates for the use of methods of population control that minimise the negative welfare harms caused to targeted and non-targeted animals.

SPCA advocates for an animal welfare impact assessment for any activity that may cause negative welfare impacts to wildlife, including damage to the environment itself, e.g., the pollution of land, air, or water.

SPCA advocates for the humane slaughter of eels. SPCA advocates that all eels must be unconscious for the duration of desliming or killed before they are deslimed.

SPCA acknowledges that feral cats are considered a pest under New Zealand law and recognises the need to act on ecological and conservation concerns where predation is likely to be a serious problem. Our organisation opposes methods of killing feral cats which do not result in a humane death.