Night of horror: Hunters slaughter rabbits before Easter in New Zealand

Wellington: As a part of the Easter Shooting Bonanza tradition, hunters in the South Island of New Zealand have slaughtered thousands of rabbits and ferrets, according to a report.

While Easter festivities are largely celebrated with sweets, chocolates and bunnies, the hunters in the region have their own special way of celebrating the festival - hunting down rabbits which are considered as pests.

The bunny hunting festival, which has been prevalent in the region since the past 25 years, witnesses a huge number of hunters from across the island. These hunters shoot bunnies throughout the night, while taking turns in between to eat, rest and sleep.

27 teams participated in the event with each team consisting of 12 hunters. The participating teams were given unique names such as 'anti-pestos' and 'Happy Hoppers'.

Around 10,000 rabbits are killed in one night. Along with bunnies, ferrets were also hunted during the exercise.