Fox hunting: ecologically, economically and epidemiologically pointless

To justify the merciless persecution of one of our most interesting predators (a member of the dog family), it is simply claimed that fox hunting during the low hunt in Switzerland is necessary, because otherwise fox populations would get out of hand.

According to the Animal Welfare Act (Art. 26 TSchG), there must be a «reasonable ground» for killing an animal. In the case of hobby hunting of foxes and badgers, however, it is usually merely the satisfaction of a bloody hobby. The hobby hunting fails as population control.

Accordingly, every fox hunt is a clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act, because the reasonable ground is lacking. For more than 30 years there have been at least 18 wildlife-biological studies proving that fox hunting does not regulate populations and is also useless for combating disease. On the contrary!

We therefore call on Swiss politicians to ban the utterly pointless killing of these wonderful creatures as quickly as possible. Luxembourg and the canton of Geneva have shown that there is not a single sound argument for this slaughter.

Facts instead of hunters' tall tales

Even without hunting there are not suddenly too many foxes, hares or birds. Experience shows that nature can be left to its own devices. From a purely pragmatic point of view, the low hunt is not necessary.

Heinrich Haller, former director of the Swiss National Park in Grisons and wildlife biologist

Fox populations are regulated through a complex social system. Foxes live in family groups in which only the highest-ranking vixen produces offspring. However, when humans intervene in the fox population with trap and gun, these family communities are destroyed. As a result, nearly all vixens are ready to mate, and the number of cubs per litter also rises sharply.

We have observed that fox mothers give birth to more young in places where the animals are hunted. While a kill may provide temporary relief in a specific spot, the vacant territories are soon reoccupied. Nature regulates this by itself.

Game warden Fabian Kern

A single fox eats an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 mice per year. If so many foxes were not killed, farmers would not need to spread so much poison on their fields against mouse plagues.

In Switzerland, however, hobby hunters shoot around 20,000 healthy foxes for the rubbish bin every year. Fox hunting is ecologically, economically and epidemiologically pointless and must therefore be banned in the interests of humans, nature and wildlife as well as from the perspective of ethics, morality and animal welfare.

Demands

We call for the recognition of scientific studies and expert opinions that question the necessity of hunting. No spreading of sectarian or refuted hobby hunter lies. Killing animals as a leisure activity has no place in the 21st century and should also be prosecuted under criminal law.