Stop fox hunting – write to the Zug cantonal council
The canton of Zug is so far the only Swiss canton to have responded to Pascal Wolf's fox hunting petition with a genuine scientific study. In autumn 2025, the Directorate of the Interior commissioned a technical report from SWILD – Urban Ecology, Wildlife Research, Communication. The second version was published in May 2026 and presented to the hunting commission on 16 June 2026.
The result is unambiguous: the currently practised fox hunting cannot regulate populations sustainably, does not improve disease control and is inferior to non-lethal methods when it comes to protecting livestock. The experiences in Geneva (since 1974) and Luxembourg (since 2015) confirm it: wildlife management works without hobby hunting of the red fox.
Template letter – copy this text into your email programme
Subject: Fox hunting – please take action
Dear Ms [Name] / Dear Mr [Name]
As a citizen, I am contacting you directly because the practice of fox hunting in our canton concerns me.
The canton of Zug is the only Swiss canton to have commissioned a scientific study on fox hunting. The result from SWILD (May 2026) is clear: the currently practised hunting does not regulate fox populations sustainably, does not improve disease control and is inferior to non-lethal protective measures. The canton of Geneva has managed since 1974 with minimal individual interventions. Luxembourg banned fox hunting in 2015 – the proportion of fox tapeworm fell sharply afterwards.
Nevertheless, around 19,000 red foxes are shot in Switzerland every year – with no demonstrable benefit to health or agriculture, at the expense of taxpayers and with considerable animal suffering.
I ask you to take the recommendations of the SWILD study seriously and to advocate in the cantonal parliament for evidence-based fox management – with a clear focus on non-lethal methods.
The canton of Geneva has managed without hobby hunting since 1974 – and thus effectively without fox hunting too: only state game wardens are allowed to intervene there, and in the last two years they have done so without a single regulatory kill.
Kind regards
[Your name]
[Your place of residence]
What the canton of Zug has decided
On 16 June 2026, the hunting commission took note of the SWILD study and decided on three measures:
The figures on hunting, damage prevention, special kills and animals found dead will in future be evaluated more consistently and separately. Fox hunting will no longer be actively promoted; the focus will be placed on settlement margins and nature reserves. The Office for Forest and Wildlife informs the public about the negative effects of feeding wild animals on the fox population.
This is not a complete change of course – but it is the first canton to take the science seriously and draw concrete consequences. The other cantons have defined away the question of scientific necessity. Zug has investigated it.
What the SWILD study shows
The key findings of the 25-page expert report by Dr Claudia Kistler and Dr Fabio Bontadina (SWILD, May 2026):
Population regulation: Current hunting is not coordinated across larger regions. Compensation mechanisms – higher fertility, better survival rates, immigration – offset losses. There is no robust evidence that hobby hunting sustainably reduces fox populations.
Rabies: Intensive hunting and den gassing were unable to stop the rabies epidemic in the 1970s. Only the vaccination campaign from 1978 brought herd immunity. Lethal methods can even intensify the spread of the disease, because hunted animals become more mobile.
Fox tapeworm: In a French study, the prevalence of the fox tapeworm rose from 44 to 55 per cent despite high hunting pressure – because young foxes that fill the gaps carry a higher worm burden.
Livestock: Studies show that losses through fox predation do not depend on the density of foxes in the surrounding area – but on the quality of the protective measures. Well-secured fences and guard dogs are more effective than hunting.
Geneva: Since 1974, only a few problematic animals have been killed by game wardens in the canton of Geneva. In the past two years there have been no regulatory kills. The fox population has not exploded, and the disease situation is no worse than in other cantons.
Luxembourg: Since the fox hunting ban of 2015, the prevalence of the small fox tapeworm has fallen sharply – from around 40 per cent to under 10 per cent. The opposite of what hunting advocates had feared.
The complete study is publicly available: Scientific foundations on fox hunting
Email addresses of the Zug Cantonal Council (2022–2026 legislative term)
The official email addresses of the Zug Cantonal Council members can be accessed via the cantonal website: zg.ch/behoerden/kantonsrat/mitglieder. Das E-Mail-Muster lautet einheitlich vorname.nachname@zg.ch.
What has happened in the canton of Zug so far
📌 Hobby hunters as bogus wildlife experts
How Pascal Wolf submitted petitions against fox hunting in 12 cantons – and what the authorities made of them.
📌 Killed by the millions – for nothing: new study exposes hunters' tall tales
Study in «Biological Conservation»: kills reduce neither populations nor damage.
📌 France and the fox: hunting myths exposed
Hunting-free areas show that foxes regulate themselves.