This Australian dad has sparked debate about animal welfare after he posted videos on social media sharing how he is teaching his sons about hunting. The dad insists that teaching them hunting is for educational purposes, while the animal activists call it a dangerous action and point out that hunting can be a 'traumatizing experience' for kids this young.
advertisement
A dad has revealed how he is already teaching his two-year-old son how to hunt - but not everyone agrees with the activity.
Zach Williams, from Australia, is teaching his son how to hunt, however, not everyone is impressed with this activity.
The dad is teaching hunting to both his 2-year-old and 7-year-old stepson and currently is teaching his eldest how to shoot with a bow and arrow.
The father spoke with news.com.au’s podcast I’ve Got News For You and disclosed that he takes his children hunting because he wants to share the adventures he had when he was growing up.
"I started hunting before I had any memory of going out. My grandparents used to take me out camping and fishing and hunting quite young so it’s just all I’ve known growing up," he told host Andrew Bucklow.
"I’ve got my stepson’s elbow and have wound down the poundage, which is the drawer weight and I’ve just started letting him shoot targets with help from myself," Zach said. "(My younger son) giggles, shoots the bow again, giggles and he’s like more please dad."
Alamy
advertisement
Williams also takes his youngest child to explore the nature that is around us, saying: "I want him to have fun out there, take notice of all the other things that’s going on."
"You see all the native animals, you see all the native bird life, you come across lizards, see plenty of kangaroos, emus, and stuff like that," he added.
The dad says all this is for educational purposes and he is teaching his kids these hacks which others don't know. This includes "butchering" their meat, educating them on conservation, and the threats feral animals set on the environment.
The father also said that he doesn’t want his sons to harm animals just yet when they go hunting, because they don’t have the capacity to kill their prey in a "humane" way.
"You need a certain poundage to efficiently, effectively, and humanely kill something with a bow and arrow and that’s what you’re trying for when your bow hunting is the most humane shot possible," Williams said.
"So you have to get lots of practice in it and you also have to have the right setup, the right arrow. So it’s as clean a kill as possible," he added.
advertisement
However, not everyone has welcomed this idea of teaching kids hunting and one MP for Australia's Animal Justice Party, Emma Hurst, opposes the activity and is concerned about the NSW government’s plans for existing hunting regulations that involve children.
Hurst told the podcast host that the bids - which include children being able to hunt with bows and dogs - should be discarded.
"These are absolutely shocking proposals being put forward by the Minister Agriculture Dugald Saunders, it completely ignores the significant safety risk of these weapons, and the enormous animal welfare impacts that they will have as well," she said.
advertisement
The politician says she is worried about the "traumatic experiences" children may get from hunting and heavily criticized parents like Williams.
On the other hand, Williams admitted that hunting can be confronting initially but once his seven-year-old son discovered where meat comes from, he started to enjoy the activity.
"It’s time that we spend bonding together…and they’re learning that step of getting fresh meat in their freezer," he added.