France: Major Demonstration Against Recreational Hunting

On Saturday, October 13th, thousands of people took to the streets of Paris to protest against the violent elements within the recreational hunting community.

More than 40 nature and animal protection organisations had called in advance for a strong turnout in order to push for fundamental reform. The core issue is that 2% of the population is terrorising the remaining population as well as wildlife without justification.

A parallel petition has already gathered over 130’000 signatures against recreational hunting.

European Record with 91 Huntable Species

France holds the European record for huntable species with 91. Of these 91 species, 64 are birds, 20 of which are threatened with extinction.

In France, recreational hunting kills 45 million wild or farmed animals every year. Recreational hunting is neither a hobby, a craft, nor an art of living, write the organisers on their website stop-chasse.fr.

One Death or Injury Every Day

France is the only country in Europe where recreational hunters are free to indulge their barbaric impulses every day of the week. And indeed, it is also the country with the highest number of hunting accidents. In all hunting accidents, 20% of those harmed are uninvolved bystanders, and one third of these cases are fatalities. There is practically one death or injury every day during the hunting season.

A catalogue of 10 demands also calls for recreational hunters to undergo annual medical tests in order to obtain a hunting licence.

Nature does not belong solely to recreational hunters. The 98% of non-hunters intend to be able to enjoy nature in peace and complete safety. More on animal rights and the animal welfare problem of recreational hunting.