Deer wounded and stabbed during hobby hunt

Disturbing video of a driven hunt

On 8 January, ugly scenes once again took place during a hobby hunt in the Dahme-Spreewald district.

The disturbing video shows a hobby hunter killing a deer trapped in a garden pond. “It doesn’t look pretty, but it is completely legal and necessary,” says his lawyer.

In the nearly six-minute video recorded by a hobby huntress, a deer can be seen repeatedly attempting in vain to escape from a large garden pond bordered by stones. A hobby hunter wades in after it, grabs the deer by the antlers and draws an inadequate knife. The animal suffers agonising pain, bleeds out and drowns.

According to the lawyer, such scenes are part of the “day-to-day business” of these dog handlers — yet another testament to the inadequacy of recreational hunters.

Hunting association sees no violation

The red deer had allegedly been struck in the hindleg during a cruel driven hunt in winter, had fled onto the nearby property of the lease holder and ended up in the garden pond. Even the Brandenburg Hunting Association is unable to identify any violation of the Animal Welfare Act in the video.

An animal welfare advocate would presumably have carefully transferred the injured wild animal into the caring hands of a veterinarian. Hobby hunters are simply not up to the task.

PETA files complaint

According to the animal welfare organisation PETA, the video shows multiple violations: “The dogs are not being held back, the man is apparently stabbing the exhausted deer indiscriminately with the knife, and then he slowly drowns the animal in the pond,” says Peter Höffken, head of the campaign team at PETA.

Wild animals live in constant fear because of recreational hunters. Drive hunts, pushed hunts and movement hunts produce even lower-quality meat, which is not infrequently contaminated with bullet fragments as well. More on the Animal Welfare Problem of Recreational Hunting.