Take action against recreational hunting

Geneva has proven it: life is better without hunting. The canton of Geneva has been free of recreational hunting since 1974. The result: increasing biodiversity, stable wildlife populations, a more than tenfold increase in the number of overwintering waterfowl, and the return of brown hares and beavers to everyday life, regularly seen by walkers. What Geneva can do, the whole of Switzerland can do.

You can help change that today. Here are the most effective ways to do so.

1. Follow campaigns and become politically active

The most effective form of engagement is political pressure. The IG Wild beim Wild (Interest Group for Wildlife) documents ongoing campaigns, initiatives, and political moves against recreational hunting in Switzerland:

→ View all current campaigns

53 sample texts for initiatives critical of hunting – free and ready to use immediately

Are you politically active yourself, or do you know any parliamentarians who want to make a difference? The IG Wild beim Wild (Wildlife Interest Group) provides 53 ready-to-use sample texts for motions, postulates, popular initiatives, and parliamentary proposals free of charge. Each text can be adopted directly, adapted to the cantonal level, and submitted. The collection comprises seven thematic categories:

Basics & Hunting in Switzerland – Hunting bans, fox hunting, small game hunting, hunting tourism, wildlife corridors, biodiversity assessment, game warden corps, hunter training
Politics, lobbying & media – hunting propaganda, schools, environmental privileges, hunting events, transparency in hunting administration, lobby register
Hunting methods, safety & technology – alcohol, crime, lead ammunition, traps, security, gun violence, high-tech ban, hunting dogs, high-speed hunting, swine fever, stand hunting, burrow hunting, pass hunting, special hunting
Animal dignity, images of violence & psychological dimension – images of hunters, children, game meat, mandatory reporting of hunting victims, trophy import ban, animal welfare law, recreational violence
Wolves, predators & politics – moratorium, protective forests, livestock protection, evaluation of wolf culls, Bern Convention
Law, control & alternatives – fences and pasture nets, hunting statistics, hunting-free zones, game wardens, cultural landscape
Cantonal popular initiatives – Sample text for the cantonal abolition of hobby hunting at the ballot box (Canton of Basel-Stadt)

The texts can be directly adopted as motions, postulates, popular initiatives or parliamentary proposals and adapted to the cantonal legal situation.

→ View all 53 sample texts for initiatives critical of hunting

Elected officials who need support in adapting a template text to their canton can contact IG Wild beim Wild: → Get in touch

Those who are informed can act effectively. The IG Wild beim Wild newsletter is published sporadically and provides current cases, new campaigns, political developments, and guidance on how to take action.

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3. Report suspected cases: The hobby hunter radar

Have you made an observation? Discovered a hunting blind? Suspect animal welfare violations, poaching, or illegal hunting practices? Then report the incident to us. Every report can help document and publicize abuses.

→ Report a suspected case now

4. Educate and share content

Spreading information is one of the most effective measures there is. You can:

Share dossiers and articles from wildbeimwild.com on social networks
Point out the reality of hobby hunting to friends and family
Writing letters to the editor of local media
Content from IG Wild beim Wild can be freely copied and distributed (copyleft).

Good starting points for clarification:
→ Alternatives to hunting | → Swiss hunters' lobby | → All dossiers

5. Use dossiers: Knowledge as a weapon

Anyone who wants to argue convincingly in discussions, media inquiries, or political work needs reliable foundations. The dossiers of the IG Wild beim Wild (Interest Group for Wildlife) compile well-founded analyses, studies, legal texts, and arguments on the most important topics surrounding hunting policy and wildlife conservation in Switzerland.

The dossiers are organized by topic:

Basics & Hunting in Switzerland : How does the Swiss hunting system work? What is behind terms like "conservation" or "population control"?
Politics, lobbying & media : Who influences hunting policy, and how? How does the hunters' lobby work?
Diseases, wildlife conservation & technology : What role does hunting play in the spread of wildlife diseases?
Animal dignity, images of violence & psychological dimension : What effect does hunting have on society's perception of wild animals?
Wolf, predator & politics : How is the wolf being instrumentalized, and what facts contradict the hunting lobby?
Law, Control & Alternatives : What does the law say, and what alternatives to hunting are there?

The dossiers provide clearly formulated, fact-based points that you can use directly in conversations, letters to the editor, or political initiatives. All sources are openly accessible and linkable.

→ View all dossiers

6. Have the property pacified (protected from predators).

Owners of forests, meadows, or farmland do not have to simply tolerate recreational hunting on their property. This is not merely an opinion, but a human rights position upheld by the highest European court.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled clearly in several judgments that landowners who object to hunting on ethical grounds cannot be forced to tolerate hunting on their land. This violates Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights (protection of property) and freedom of conscience. Switzerland is a signatory to the ECHR and is obligated to ensure that its legislation complies with human rights.

In practice, the options available at the cantonal level are still limited. Nevertheless, you have concrete courses of action:

Contact your cantonal authority in writing and request that your property be excluded from hunting for ethical reasons.
Place hunting prohibition signs on your land and document the objection in writing.
Use the sample texts from IG Wild beim Wild to support a cantonal initiative for the right to private land free from hunting.

→ Dossier: Hunting and Human Rights
→ Sample text: Peacekeeping of private properties

7. Exert political pressure

Write to your local councillor, cantonal councillor, or member of the National Council today. Demand:

The cantonal expansion of hunting-free zones, following the Geneva model.
The participation of non-hunters in hunting policy decisions
The consistent enforcement of the animal welfare law during hunting

You can find contact information for members of parliament at parlament.ch .

8. Beware of nature conservation organizations

Not every organization that includes "nature" in its name effectively protects wildlife. Many Swiss environmental organizations are closely linked to the hunting lobby and regularly sabotage initiatives against recreational hunting. Before becoming a member or making a donation, check what stance an organization takes on recreational hunting.

→ More about the hunting lobby in Switzerland

9. No game meat, no furs

Every purchase decision is a vote. Anyone who buys game meat, wears fur, or books hunting tours directly or indirectly finances an industry that is based on killing wild animals for recreation.

Venison

Game meat is often considered "natural" or "sustainable," but the opposite is frequently true. In Switzerland, a large proportion of the game meat sold commercially comes from abroad, from intensive game farming or large-scale hunting. But the main problem is something else: game meat can make you sick.

Lead from hunting ammunition

Lead bullets fragment upon impact, leaving invisible particles in the meat. The Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) therefore explicitly recommends that children under 7, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and women planning a pregnancy should avoid eating game meat if possible. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) makes the same recommendation. Lead cannot be "cooked away."

Parasites and germs

Wild boar is a high-risk category due to trichinellosis and other zoonoses. The safety chain for wild game is inherently more variable than for standardized slaughter: field inspection, retrieval, cooling, and transport vary considerably depending on experience, weather, and terrain.

"Organic" is a marketing myth.

"Organic" means defined standards and controls. Game meat is not a certified organic product simply because the animal lived freely. "Natural" does not replace independent inspection.

→ Everything on this topic in the dossier: Game meat in Switzerland

Furs and skins

Furs and pelts from native wild animals such as foxes, badgers, or martens are still traded in Switzerland, often downplayed as a "by-product" of hunting. Those who buy these products create an incentive that goes beyond the personal needs of hobby hunters and contributes to the economic justification of recreational hunting.

Hunting tourism and trophy hunting

An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 Swiss recreational hunters travel abroad each year to hunt wild animals. Switzerland-based providers like VEPAR Jagdreisen or Bavetia.ch arrange driven hunts in Eastern Europe, while international platforms offer trophy hunts for elephants, lions, or buffalo in Africa, sometimes with a money-back guarantee if the hunt is unsuccessful. Learn more about the background of trophy hunting on our dossier page .

What you can do:

Don't buy game meat; choose plant-based alternatives instead.
I consistently reject fur and skins from wild animals, whether as clothing, decoration or souvenir.
Boycott hunting fairs, hunting exhibitions and events that market hunting as a lifestyle.
Ask restaurants and catering establishments about game dishes on their menu and explain your position.

→ More on alternatives to hunting

Legal notice regarding actions in public spaces

Documenting hunting activities in the field (Section 3) can raise legal questions, especially if private property is entered. Erecting hunting prohibition signs (Section 6) is a first step in the documentation process, but does not replace formal procedures with the cantonal authorities. Regarding letters to the editor and public statements (Section 4): Specific factual claims about persons or events must be verifiable.

Always inform yourself beforehand about the applicable legal regulations in your canton. The IG Wild beim Wild accepts no liability for the actions of third parties.

Donate

IG Wild beim Wild does not accept donations directly. Those wishing to financially support animal welfare work can do so through our partner organization:

→ Donate now to stinah.ch

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Questions, comments or feedback?

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Recreational hunting is not nature conservation, but a relic from feudal times. It causes animal suffering, weakens nature conservation, and contradicts modern ethical standards. Examples from Geneva, Luxembourg, and dozens of other regions worldwide show that nature and biodiversity benefit when recreational hunting ends.

"Hunting as a hobby is not culture, but rather a lack of culture. It is not a necessity, but rather avoidable animal cruelty."

Animal portraits