Dortmund Hunting Fair once again permits enclosure hunting offers

On 28 January, Europe's largest hunting fair JAGD & HUND begins in Dortmund, where trophy hunting trips are also offered, including hunts targeting endangered and internationally protected species such as elephants, leopards, rhinoceroses and lions.

These fair offerings have been highly controversial for years. Now the fair is additionally relaxing its participation conditions and once again permitting offers of enclosure hunts. The ethics commission of the Dortmund Lord Mayor remains silent. 24 animal and nature conservation organisations are sharply criticising both the fair and the Lord Mayor for this. “It is alarming, particularly against the backdrop of global species extinction, that even the small positive developments regarding important animal and species protection aspects of trophy hunting offers at the fair are not only being halted but also reversed. This is absolutely unacceptable!” criticises Dr. Mona Schweizer of Pro Wildlife.

Enclosure hunting offers permitted again after eight years

In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) passed a resolution against the breeding of lions for shooting in enclosures (canned hunting). The German Hunting Association (DJV) also welcomed this signal against this particularly cruel form of trophy hunting. As a result, the Dortmund trade fair banned such offerings from 2017 onwards. However, as Pro Wildlife revealed in 2023, this ban was neither monitored nor enforced. Rather than tightening controls, the trade fair has now quietly removed the ban from its participation terms. In addition to canned lion hunting, offerings for hobby hunts targeting artificially bred color variants of antelopes are now once again permitted to be marketed. "It is a damning indictment that the trade fair cannot even maintain its minimum standards and allows offerings that are publicly rejected even by hunting lobby organizations," said Schweizer. The hobby hunt threatens biodiversity worldwide.

Mayor Drags Out Ethics Commission

In response to persistent criticism of the trophy hunting offerings at the trade fair, Dortmund's Lord Mayor Westphal (SPD) promised during the 2020 election campaign to establish an ethics commission tasked with evaluating the relevant offerings from an ethical perspective. After sustained pressure, the commission was finally established in 2023. Since then, nothing has happened. There has also been no response to the recent weakening of the participation terms. A written inquiry submitted in November 2024 by 23 animal and nature conservation organizations regarding the current progress of his commission's work went unanswered by the Mayor, even after repeated follow-up. "One cannot escape the impression that Mr. Westphal never truly stood behind his election promise and now hopes that by ignoring the issue long enough, any potential ethical concerns raised by the commission and the resulting need for action will not interfere with his upcoming election campaign. For the trade fair's offerings for shooting endangered species not only undermine species protection, but are also absolutely unethical from an animal welfare perspective," Schweizer concluded. The Dortmund mayoral election is scheduled to take place in autumn 2025. Mayor Westphal is standing for re-election.

Protest Against the Hunting Trade Fair

PETA is also staging a bloody protest action against the hunting trade fair. Criticism regarding endangered bird species in the crosshairs of recreational hunters has likewise been documented. More on the Animal welfare problem of recreational hunting.