France: Swiss hobby hunter massacres four donkeys
On Sunday, 17 September 2017, at around 4:00 p.m., four donkeys were killed by a Swiss hunter in Arith (Savoie), near Geneva. A fifth donkey from the herd managed to flee.
The 38-year-old hobby hunter from Romandy shot the donkeys in cold blood near a forest.
The Savoie hunting association condemns the act and refuses to speak of a “hunting accident.”
After the crime, the Swiss hobby hunter (hobby hunters, who are supposedly so well trained) made himself scarce. It was only hours later that his brother contacted the owners. Two animals died immediately; the other two suffered for several hours and had to be euthanised.
Each donkey was hit by multiple bullets
The shooter most likely fired at the donkeys as they emerged from the undergrowth. All the donkeys were hit by multiple bullets — particularly in the area of their legs. The forest terrorist, who had obtained hunting permits at the local hunting club together with his brother, was in the region ostensibly to hunt roe deer, red deer, and wild boar. When questioned by police, the Swiss hobby hunter claimed he had mistaken the donkeys for hinds.
“It is with indescribable pain that I have the grief of announcing the killing of nearly the entire donkey herd: Fanfan, Ulule, Moustique, Mistral were massacred by a Swiss hobby hunter.”
Writes Sandrine Lassiaille, the owner of the killed donkeys, on Facebook.
Sandrine runs a tourism business offering donkey trekking and now finds herself with virtually nothing. A criminal complaint was immediately filed against the hobby hunter. “What shocked me most was the large calibre used by the hobby hunter. A calibre that explodes inside the target,” explains Sandrine.
«This is not a hunting accident — this act is extraordinary,» says director Pierre Sicard of the Savoie hunting association to a radio station.
Last year, a horse in the region was already shot by a hobby hunter, which also caused widespread outrage.
Demands from IG Wild beim Wild
From the perspective of IG Wild beim Wild, the threshold at which a hobby hunter is deemed unfit to handle firearms under the influence of alcohol should unquestionably be set at 0.0 per mille blood alcohol level, as is the case in military or police service. Those who go hobby hunting go out to kill. No one may handle a weapon — let alone fire one — while under the influence of alcohol. Anyone who is alcohol-dependent must have their hunting and firearms licence revoked immediately. Following hunting accidents, mandatory alcohol tests must be introduced. In addition, regular medical-psychological assessments for hobby hunters are needed, along with an upper age limit. The largest age group among hobby hunters is likely — as in Germany — those aged 65 and above, who may suffer from age-related, visual, concentration, and reaction impairments, as well as deficits in training and practice.
