Yet Again Swiss Hobby Hunters as Criminals

The recently concluded investigations by the Kantonspolizei St. Gallen against four alleged poachers once again reveal how fragile the self-image of the “responsible hunting community” truly is.

What began as a regional hunting offence has since emerged as a comprehensive criminal case involving illegal kills, prohibited technology and serious violations of animal protection law.

This is yet another case in a long series of incidents demonstrating that hobby hunting in Switzerland is not the natural and traditional heritage it is so often portrayed as. Rather, it is a system that repeatedly attracts individuals who regard animals as fair game and prefer nocturnal shooting escapades to compliance with legal regulations.

Illegal kills, prohibited technology and utter unscrupulousness

The four accused Swiss nationals are alleged to have systematically killed wild animals in the Toggenburg region outside of regular hunting seasons between 2020 and early 2021. The animals affected were red deer, roe deer and foxes — precisely those animals that hobby hunters officially claim to “manage”.

The methods employed by the men read like a manual for organised poaching:

• Use of prohibited night-vision scopes
• Hunting with unauthorised weapon attachments
• Shooting in another party’s hunting territory
• At least 28 illegally killed wild animals
• One participant without a valid hunting licence

Much of this is not only illegal but directly contradicts the supposed principles of hunting ethics. Yet such violations are no longer isolated cases — they are an expression of a hunting practice that frequently resembles a criminal hobby involving firearms more than a responsible approach to the management of wild animals.

Animal cruelty included — the system looks the other way

The accusations of animal cruelty carry particular weight. The use of night-vision technology and shooting in darkness massively increases the risk of severely injured animals fleeing the scene. Such hunting methods mean suffering, agony, and often hours-long death struggles — a price that some hobby hunters apparently consider secondary, as long as the adrenaline rush delivers.

It is therefore little surprise that the accused men later divided the flesh of the killed red deer among themselves. Wild animals that died under questionable circumstances became private spoils. A system that controls itself invites abuse — and delivers it time and again.

A structural problem — not merely “isolated incidents”

The hunting lobby regularly attempts to portray such events as rare exceptions. Yet reality tells a different story:

• Hobby hunters are repeatedly convicted of illegal killings
• Prohibited weapons, traps, and technical aids repeatedly come to light
• Massive gaps in knowledge regarding the handling of animals and nature repeatedly come to light
• People repeatedly die because of hobby hunters

The current case from the Toggenburg is merely the tip of an iceberg. It demonstrates that hobby hunting is no guarantee of nature conservation, but rather a domain in which criminal energy and traditional latitude combine to form a volatile mixture.

The St. Gallen public prosecutor's office is now examining criminal charges against the four men. This is necessary, but not sufficient. The case clearly illustrates how inadequately self-regulation functions within this militant hunting scene. Where the use of weapons, animal suffering, and personal interests converge, what is needed is not less, but rather state oversight, stricter controls, and more consistent penalties.

According to IG Wild beim Wild, annual medical-psychological assessments are required for hobby hunters following the model of the Netherlands, as well as an upper age limit. The largest age group among hobby hunters is 65+, those with age-related, cognitive, visual, concentration and reaction deficiencies, as well as training and practice deficits. From the age of 45, the number of accidents involving people and animals rises dramatically. The alarming reports of hunting accidents and fatal crimes involving hunters' weapons make it clear: it is long overdue to abolish hobby hunting! Lethal firearms must not be placed in the hands of senile hobby hunters who can use them with complete impunity! Hobby hunters represent everything that is wrong with the world.

Hobby hunters practice speciesism. Speciesism is comparable to racism and sexism, and that is not a culture or tradition.

Particularly in the case of hobby hunting it is essential to look very closely. Nowhere else is there so much manipulation through falsehoods and fake news. Violence and lies are two sides of the same coin.