Stone Marten Switzerland: Synanthropic Species Under Hunting Pressure

The stone marten is the most common and adaptable mustelid in Switzerland. It lives right among humans, in attics, barns and engine compartments, regularly causing conflicts there. However, the solution to chewed cables and damaged insulation does not lie in guns, but in prevention. Nevertheless, approximately 1’000 stone martens are shot annually by recreational hunters, even though all expert agencies unanimously conclude: Shooting is ineffective because vacant territories are immediately occupied by neighboring animals.

Profile

The stone marten (Martes foina), also called house marten, belongs to the family of martens (Mustelidae) and is a carnivore species from the genus of true martens. It reaches a head-body length of 40 to 54 centimeters, the bushy tail is about half as long as the body. Weight ranges from 1 to 2 kilograms, with males being somewhat larger and heavier than females. Its fur is greyish-brown to dark brown. The distinguishing feature is the white, usually forked throat patch that often extends to the front legs. Unlike the related pine marten, the stone marten has unfurred paw pads and a pink (not brown) nose.

Biology and Lifestyle

The stone marten is a solitary animal and primarily nocturnal. It claims fixed territories of 80 to 150 hectares, which it marks with secretions from its anal and abdominal glands (Stadtwildtiere Schweiz). During the day it rests in hiding places, which in urban areas are often attics, barns, stables or wood piles. It is a skilled climber that can scale walls and penetrates buildings through gaps as narrow as 5 centimeters (Umweltberatung Luzern, Kanton Zürich).

Originally, the stone marten was an inhabitant of rocky landscapes and open mixed forests. Over the course of the 20th century, it has increasingly colonized urban areas as a cultural follower. Attics, barns and engine compartments offer ideal daytime hiding places with protection from weather and predators. This adaptability is remarkable and demonstrates high intelligence. Yet precisely this ability to live near humans becomes its downfall: Instead of designing coexistence with the stone marten, recreational hunters resort to firearms.

Reproduction

The mating season occurs in the months of June to August. Like the pine marten and badger, the stone marten also exhibits delayed implantation: the fertilized egg remains dormant for several months before actual development begins. The young are born in March or April, usually 2 to 4, rarely up to 7. They are blind and barely furred at birth. Only after about 5 weeks do they open their eyes. Rearing the young takes around 8 weeks, after which the young begin to leave the nest. At 12 to 16 weeks they become independent. Sexual maturity is reached at around 14 months. In the wild, stone martens rarely live longer than 10 years.

Diet and ecological function

The stone marten is an omnivore with a broad diet spectrum. Small mammals, particularly voles, make up a large part of its animal nutrition. It also hunts birds, eggs, insects, earthworms and snails. In summer and autumn, plant components dominate: cherries, plums, berries and grape seeds are regularly found in its droppings (Stadtwildtiere Schweiz, Institut für Schädlingskunde).

As a regulator of mouse populations in urban areas and agricultural crops, the stone marten fulfills an important ecological function. It is also useful as a destroyer of wasp nests and other insects. That it occasionally breaks into chicken coops and kills several chickens there through the so-called killing frenzy (a stress reaction to fluttering poultry in enclosed spaces) is a real but solvable problem with simple structural measures.

The "car marten": A problem that recreational hunting cannot solve

The cause

Since the late 1970s, it has been known that stone martens bite through plastic and rubber parts on automobiles: brake and ignition cables, radiator hoses and insulation mats (Stadtwildtiere Schweiz, Wikipedia). The cause of this behavior lies in territorial behavior: freshly parked cars carry scent marks from a foreign marten, which the resident stone marten interprets as an intruder. It marks the vehicle with its own scent secretions and bites into rubber parts that carry the foreign smell. This behavior is not hunting behavior and not feeding; it is a territorial reaction.

Why shooting aggravates the problem

All cantonal specialist agencies, the Environmental Consulting Luzern, the Canton of Zurich and even pest control companies agree: Trapping or shooting a stone marten serves no purpose, as its territory is immediately occupied by a neighboring animal (Environmental Consulting Luzern, Canton of Zurich, Desinfecta). The successor follows the scent trails of its predecessor and will most likely use the same hiding places and the same cars. Shooting does not solve the problem, it perpetuates it: Instead of a territorially stable marten that knows the local situation, a new, inexperienced one appears that must first establish itself and may cause more damage in the process.

Animal-friendly solutions

The only effective measures against martens in cars and attics are structural and preventive. Bite-resistant radiator hoses and ignition cables, electric marten protection systems with non-lethal electric shock, garage parking of the vehicle and regular engine washing to remove scent marks are the standard recommendations of cantonal authorities (Canton of Zurich). In attics, all entry holes larger than 5 centimeters must be sealed, climbing plants on house walls removed and overhanging branches trimmed. These measures are labor-intensive but permanently effective. Shooting is not.

The hunt: Senseless by definition

Legal situation

The stone marten is a huntable species under small game hunting according to the Federal Hunting Act (JSG, Art. 5 Para. 2). The closed season extends in most cantons from mid-February to mid-August and protects the rearing of young. Outside this period, the stone marten may be killed by holders of a valid hunting license. Snares, poison and traps except box traps for live capture are prohibited.

The scale of the kill

The BUWAL reported around 2,000 stone martens killed in 2003, but also found that kill numbers have been declining since the mid-1980s (BUWAL press release, 2004). In 2005, 1,673 stone martens were still shot, in 2006 only 980 (BAFU press release, 2007). Current kill numbers according to the Federal Hunting Statistics are around 1,000 animals per year. In the Canton of Schaffhausen, only 2 stone martens were killed in the hunting year 2022/23 (IG Wild beim Wild, Hunting Statistics 2022). In the Canton of Geneva, where recreational hunting has been abolished since 1974, conflicts with stone martens are resolved exclusively through professional game wardens and prevention.

Particularly telling: The BUWAL already recommended systematic biomonitoring for marten species in 2002, because it was unclear whether the declining kill numbers were due to population decline or changed hunting habits (BUWAL press release, 2004). Twenty years later, there are still no reliable population figures. Hobby hunters continue to shoot a species whose population development they do not know.

The contradiction

The stone marten is perceived as a problem animal in residential areas, but precisely where it actually causes conflicts, recreational hunting cannot be practiced in most cases. In pacified districts, i.e., in residential areas and gardens, hunting is only permitted with special authorization. Hobby hunters therefore do not shoot the stone marten where it causes problems, but where it happens to be in the hunting ground: in the forest, at the forest edge, in the countryside. Where it causes no damage. The hunt literally misses its target.

More on this: Why recreational hunting fails as population control

Coexistence instead of war: The stone marten as neighbor

What the stone marten brings to residential areas

The stone marten regulates mouse and rat populations in residential areas and agricultural crops. It devours insects, snails and wasps. As a berry enthusiast, it contributes to the dispersal of plant seeds. Its droppings regularly contain cherry pits and grape seeds, which it deposits in changing locations, thus promoting the spread of these plants.

Coexistence with the stone marten is possible and is successfully practiced in numerous European cities. The key lies in prevention: making buildings marten-proof, protecting cars, reinforcing chicken coops. The cantonal advisory services offer comprehensive information and support. What is missing is not the technology, but the willingness of the hobby hunting lobby to acknowledge shooting as an unsuitable method.

The Geneva Model

In the canton of Geneva, where hobby hunting has been abolished since 1974, conflicts with the stone marten are resolved through professional game wardens and through prevention. There are neither exploding marten populations nor uncontrollable damage. Geneva shows that a civilized approach to the stone marten is possible without the involvement of recreational hunters.

More on this: Studies on the impact of hobby hunting on wildlife

What would need to change

Replacement of shooting with professional prevention: Shooting the stone marten is ineffective because vacant territories are immediately reoccupied. All cantonal specialist agencies confirm this. The only effective solution lies in prevention: marten-proof buildings, protected vehicles, reinforced chicken coops. The cantons must expand advice and promotion of these measures instead of issuing shooting permits.
Professional wildlife management instead of hobby hunting: Where conflicts with the stone marten occur that require interventions beyond prevention, professional game wardens must be responsible, not hobby hunters. The Geneva model shows that this works and is more cost-effective than a system based on 30,000 license holders.
Abolition of hunting the stone marten outside residential areas: In forests and open countryside, the stone marten causes no conflicts. Hunting the stone marten in these areas has no reasonable justification and must be discontinued.
National monitoring of marten populations: The BUWAL already called for biomonitoring of marten species in 2002. Twenty years later, there are still no reliable population figures. National monitoring is overdue and a prerequisite for any serious wildlife policy.
Public education: Many conflicts with the stone marten arise from ignorance: open roof hatches, unsecured chicken coops, lack of marten protection on cars. The cantons must expand educational and advisory services and inform the public about animal-friendly protective measures.

Arguments

«The stone marten causes significant damage to cars and buildings and must therefore be hunted.» The damage is real, but shooting does not solve the problem, but perpetuates it. Vacant territories are immediately reoccupied. All cantonal specialist agencies, the canton of Zurich, the environmental advisory service of Lucerne and even private pest control companies confirm that trapping or shooting individual stone martens does not represent a permanent solution. The only effective measures are of a structural and preventive nature.

«Without hunting, the stone marten would get out of hand.» Stone marten populations regulate themselves through their territoriality and food availability. Territory sizes are fixed, each territory can only support one marten. Recreational hunting does not influence the overall population, it merely exchanges individual animals. In the Canton of Geneva, there has been no recreational hunting of stone martens for over 50 years, and there is no overpopulation.

«The stone marten decimates ground-nesting birds and chickens and must therefore be regulated.» Chicken keepers are themselves responsible for the safety of their animals. A marten-proof coop can be constructed with minimal effort. Shooting the stone marten because a coop is not secured is like trying to prevent burglaries by shooting burglars instead of using locks. Ground-nesting birds are primarily threatened by the loss of their habitats, not by the stone marten, which has been part of their ecosystem for millennia.

«Recreational hunting of the stone marten is sustainable.» The BUWAL already established in 2004 that declining hunting numbers for stone and pine martens could indicate population decline, and recommended biomonitoring. Twenty years later, there are still no reliable population figures. Hunting a species whose population is unknown cannot be called «sustainable». It is flying blind.

«Hunting the stone marten has tradition and belongs to small game hunting.» Small game hunting of marten species originates from a time when pelts were economically utilized. This use is obsolete. Tradition is not an argument for killing an animal when the original purpose has disappeared and the shooting is demonstrably ineffective. The Swiss Animal Protection STS rightly demands that the purpose and meaning of hunting these species be critically questioned.

Quicklinks

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Related dossiers

Sources

Federal hunting statistics, FOEN/Wildtier Schweiz: http://www.jagdstatistik.ch (hunting and roadkill data)
FOEN press release (2004): Hunting statistics 2003, Stable shooting numbers for ungulates, threatened small carnivores
FOEN press release (2007): Hunting statistics 2006, Stone marten shooting numbers
Canton of Zurich, Office for Landscape and Nature: Information Martens in residential areas (zh.ch, 2020)
Environmental Advisory Lucerne: Stone marten (umweltberatung-luzern.ch)
Urban Wildlife Switzerland: Species portrait Stone marten (stadtwildtiere.ch)
Waldwissen.net/WSL: The martens in Canton Lucerne (Holzgang/Muggli, 2005)
Wikipedia: Stone marten (Martes foina)
IG Wild beim Wild (2022/2025): Hunting statistics 2022, Fox massacre in Switzerland (wildbeimwild.com)
Swiss Animal Protection STS: Hunting in Switzerland (tierschutz.com)
Desinfecta Switzerland: Repelling martens (desinfecta.ch)
Wildlife portal Baden-Württemberg: Stone marten (wildtierportal-bw.de)
Federal Act on Hunting and the Protection of Wild Mammals and Birds (JSG, SR 922.0)
Animal Welfare Act (TSchG, SR 455)

Our standards

The stone marten is a wild animal that has learned to live alongside humans. Its adaptability is impressive and deserves respect, not persecution. The fact that it occasionally chews through cables, penetrates attics or visits chicken coops is no reason to reach for a gun, especially since all experts confirm that shooting is ineffective. Conflicts with stone martens can be solved through prevention and structural measures. The fact that recreational hunters nevertheless shoot around 1,000 stone martens annually, often not where conflicts exist but in forests and countryside, shows that hunting small game does not serve conflict resolution but the recreational pleasure of the shooters. The consequence is clear: hunting stone martens must be replaced by professional wildlife management and prevention. The Geneva model has proven for over 50 years that this is possible. This dossier is continuously updated when new data, studies or political developments require it.

More on the topic of hobby hunting: In our hunting dossier we compile fact-checks, analyses and background reports.