About us

Characteristic	Details
Legal form	Interest group (IG)
Founded	11 June 2015
Headquarters	Acquarossa, Ticino, Switzerland
Purpose	Animal rights, nature and environmental protection
Method	Research, Education, Campaign, Initiative
Area of Activity	Switzerland, DACH Region & International
Management	Carl Sonnthal
Statutes	Deed of Incorporation
Website	wildbeimwild.com

The highest-reach hunting-critical platform in the German-speaking world

Wild beim Wild is an independent animal rights movement and the largest exclusively hunting-critical platform in the DACH region. With over 62’000 followers on Facebook, more than 1’100 posts on Instagram, 4’315’992 page views, 2’718’413 unique visitors and 3’696 published articles on wildbeimwild.com (as of March 2026), the IG reaches a community that is unrivalled in the field of hobby hunting criticism.

While large animal welfare organisations treat hobby hunting as one of many topics, Wild beim Wild has focused exclusively on this field since 2015. The result: a platform that delivers facts instead of hunters’ tall tales, analyses government data, contextualises scientific studies, exposes the lobby structures of recreational hunters and ensures, through criminal complaints, that animal welfare law does not remain merely on paper – for wild animals and farm animals alike.

The fact that a thematically specialised interest group from Ticino achieves such a reach demonstrates that criticism of hobby hunting is no longer a fringe issue, but a growing societal concern.

One does not become an opponent of hunting out of boredom, but out of knowledge of this cruelty to animals.

History

The IG Wild beim Wild was founded in Switzerland on 11 June 2015 by Carl Sonnthal to address the increasing pressure on wildlife from urbanisation, agriculture and the animal-cruel practice of hobby hunting. Originally established as a local initiative, the organisation has developed over the years into a supranational voice for wildlife and their protection. Today it is one of the most important hunting-critical organisations in Switzerland and is recognised as a centre of expertise against hobby hunting throughout the DACH region.

Goals

The overarching goal of IG Wild beim Wild is the abolition of hobby hunting and the introduction of a contemporary wildlife management model based on that of the Canton of Geneva, which has maintained a hunting ban for hobby hunters since 19 May 1974: without hobby hunting, but with principled, professional wildlife wardens who act in accordance with a code of honour.

Furthermore, the IG pursues the following objectives:

Protection of habitats for wildlife
Protection of farm animals from official negligence, particularly in cases of absent herd protection and violations of the Animal Welfare Act
Public education and awareness about wildlife and hobby hunting
Promotion of sustainable practices in agriculture and forestry
Cooperation with animal and nature conservation organizations, politicians, and authorities
Support for scientific methods of immunocontraception as an alternative to lethal population control
Promotion of animal rights for wildlife, which have no voice of their own in political decision-making

The IG does not cooperate with hunting associations, JagdSchweiz, or hunting-affiliated organizations.

Activities

IG Wild beim Wild carries out a wide range of programs and projects:

Source-based research, Dossiers and background analyses on wildlife species, hunting law, animal welfare, and hunting policy
Publication of the Guiding principles for hunting criticism, source-based Position papers against hobby hunting and in favor of professional wildlife protection
Template texts for hunting-critical motions in cantonal parliaments
Regular Press releases and Campaigns
Legal work: The legal department regularly files criminal complaints and supports proceedings to protect wildlife and farm animals — from animal cruelty in hobby hunting to official negligence in herd protection and political irresponsibility in cantonal governments
Support for the initiative «For professional wildlife protection» in collaboration with wildlife biologists and scientists
Cooperation with police and public prosecutors regarding criminal activities of recreational hunters and other acts of animal cruelty
Operation of the Hobby-Jäger-Radar and of Hunt Watch
Production of videos and maintenance of social media channels
Support for animal sanctuaries and the vegan lifestyle
Online petitions and information campaigns
Support for third-party organizations in animal and nature conservation, journalists, and private individuals

How we work

Wild beim Wild publishes research, analyses, and fact-checks on hobby hunting in Switzerland. Our content is based on verifiable sources: official culling statistics, court rulings, parliamentary motions, scientific studies, and original documents from the federal and cantonal authorities.

We clearly distinguish between three content formats:

Fact check: Examination of a specific claim based on verifiable data. We present the source situation, identify uncertainties, and formulate a comprehensible conclusion.
Analysis/Dossier: Contextualisation of complex topics such as hunting legislation, wildlife management or crime in the context of hunting, with source references and context.
Commentary/Campaign: Clearly identified as an opinion piece or campaign. Here, IG Wild beim Wild takes a political and ethical stance.

Errors are corrected upon becoming aware of them. Significant corrections are transparently noted in the relevant article. When the state of research is only of limited reliability, we say so openly.

Who is behind Wild beim Wild

Carl Sonnthal founded Wild beim Wild in 2015 and has led the organisation ever since. Over the years, he has engaged intensively with hunting law, wildlife biology, animal protection policy, and the structures of the Swiss hunting lobby. His investigations into hunting crimes, regulatory enforcement failures, and the psychology of hobby hunting form the foundation of the platform.

The editorial team works with external specialists, including wildlife biologists, legal experts, and journalists. On specific topics such as the Geneva model without hobby hunting, predator management or cantonal hunting laws, their expertise and source work feed into the articles.

Independence and funding

Wild beim Wild is a volunteer-run information and campaign platform. IG Wild beim Wild does not accept donations itself. Those wishing to financially support animal welfare work are invited to donate directly to the non-profit Stiftung Tiere in Not – Animal Help (STINAH), which funds, among other things, political and legal work. The IG receives no funds from hunting associations, the arms industry, government bodies, or political parties. No advertisements are placed. This independence is a prerequisite for critical reporting on hobby hunting, the hunting lobby, and the official handling of wildlife in Switzerland.

Positions

Hobby hunting and animal protection law

Hobby hunting contradicts an enlightened, scientific, and ethical understanding of nature and animals. Wild animals are sentient beings with social structures, the capacity to feel pain, and stress responses (cf. Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, 2012). They cannot be “harvested” as part of a leisure activity like vegetables or fruit.

Article 1 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Act (TSchG) protects the dignity and well-being of animals. Article 26 TSchG makes it clear: no one may unjustifiably cause pain, suffering or harm to an animal, put it in a state of fear, or otherwise disregard its dignity. IG Wild beim Wild has been documenting for years how hobby hunting systematically undermines this principle.

Although it has been proven for decades (Luxembourg, Geneva, national parks) that foxes in particular do not require “regulation” through culling, the hobby hunters ignore scientific facts and disregard animal welfare laws.

Speciesism towards wildlife

In Switzerland, the racial discrimination statute prohibits the discrimination of people on the basis of their ethnicity, skin colour and religion. For animals, however, the legal situation is different: non-native animal species are afforded no protection, and their right to life is denied to them by law on account of their origin. The Australian philosopher Peter Singer described this phenomenon in 1975 as “speciesism”: the conviction of humans that, by virtue of their species membership, they are superior to all other species and may treat them as they see fit. IG Wild beim Wild advocates that this attitude should no longer be accepted in a civilised society.

Non-violence as a guiding principle

Non-violence distinguishes the cultivated human being from the predators of the animal world. A passion for hunting is neither a mandate from society nor a right. The leisure-motivated injuring and killing of wild animals normalises behaviours such as cruelty, brutality and indifference to suffering — behaviours that must be eliminated in relations between human beings.

Do not do unto others what you would not have done unto yourself. This is a guiding principle of IG Wild beim Wild.

When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty!

Children’s rights and hobby hunting

Children and young people must be protected from all forms of violence. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child encompasses the right of all minors to physical and mental integrity. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child states:

Children must be protected from all forms of physical and psychological violence and from exposure to violence, such as domestic violence or violence against animals.

From the perspective of IG Wild beim Wild, the passive and active participation of children and adolescents in hunting activities is impermissible. In 2023, the IG issued an appeal to protect minors from the harmful effects of violence in hobby hunting. Poland has already implemented this children's right and banned hobby hunting in the presence of minors.

Campaigns

Successes

Victory against the association JagdSchweiz (2020)

IG Wild beim Wild filed a criminal complaint with the Gossau SG public prosecutor's office against Hanspeter Egli, the then president of JagdSchweiz, head of the Andwil hunting association and president of the cantonal association Revierjagd St. Gallen. Among other things, he was accused of violations of the Federal Act against Unfair Competition, cruel hunting abroad, and violations of the Animal Protection Act, specifically the “disregard for the dignity of an animal.” There was also suspicion of bodily harm and causing public alarm through public incitement to acts of violence.

The association JagdSchweiz responded by attempting to silence the IG. Troublesome contemporaries were to be, to use the words of the recreational hunters, “silenced” and “made to disappear from the scene.” The IG could not be intimidated and filed a counter-complaint.

On 17 July 2020, the court in Bellinzona ruled: Practically everything that is cruel, unnecessary and heartless is promoted by JagdSchweiz, according to the legally binding judgment. The case was disseminated nationwide by the Swiss News Agency (SDA) under the headline “Switzerland’s top hunter reported to authorities.”

Criminal complaints for the protection of wild and farm animals

IG Wild beim Wild enforces animal protection law not only through publications, but also through legal action. Since its founding, the legal department has filed numerous criminal complaints that go well beyond recreational hunting in the narrow sense:

Protection of livestock: In the canton of Ticino, IG Wild beim Wild documented at least 38 livestock killed by wolf attacks between October 2025 and February 2026, in which the veterinary office drew no consequences despite the absence of herd protection measures. The IG filed a criminal complaint for administrative failure. The public prosecutor's office opened an investigation.
Hunting psychology and enforcement deficits: The IG analysed the psychology of recreational hunting across the cantons and exposed enforcement deficits in animal protection law.
Hunting lobbyism in public authorities: In the canton of Aargau, the IG revealed how hunting lobbyists simultaneously hold sovereign public offices, thereby undermining neutrality and the rule of law.
Systemic judicial criticism: The IG documented in a comprehensive investigation structural problems in the Graubünden justice system, which systematically turns a blind eye to hunting offences.
Political accountability: Criminal complaint against Graubünden cantonal councillor Mario Cavigelli, who had demonstrably misled the population and the Grand Council on matters of hunting policy.
and much more.

This commitment demonstrates: IG Wild beim Wild understands animal protection as law enforcement. Where authorities fail, veterinary offices look the other way, or politicians evade responsibility, the IG intervenes through legal channels — for wildlife and livestock alike.

Criminal complaint against the IOC and FEI (2021)

In response to animal cruelty during the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, IG Wild beim Wild filed a criminal complaint with the Lausanne public prosecutor's office against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). The IOC and FEI were accused of violations of the Animal Welfare Act and the Animal Welfare Ordinance.

The worldwide pressure generated by media coverage led to a change of course: modern pentathlon will in future be contested without the equestrian discipline.

Get involved

The movement is open to committed activists who wish to engage in the protection of wildlife and their habitats. No formal membership is required — only determination.

Are you planning a hunting-critical initiative, petition, or campaign? The IG is here to help with expertise, networks, research, and facts.

The IG appeals to the public not to contact hobby hunters when dealing with wildlife problems, but instead to search online for qualified wildlife advisory services that apply peaceful solutions.

You can help all animals and our planet with compassion. Choose compassion on your plate and in your glass. Go vegan.