Germany: End Recreational Hunting

If you ask the average law-abiding citizen what they think of recreational hunting, you might hear that hobby hunters care for sick and injured wildlife, that recreational hunting produces healthy game meat, that hobby hunters don’t just kill but also practice “conservation management,” and that they regulate wildlife populations.

Editorial Team Wild beim Wild — 17 June 2015

We have been examining the topic of recreational hunting very intensively for several years now and have come to the conclusion that, in its current form, it can essentially be reduced to a leisure activity.

There is neither a sustainable reduction of wildlife populations taking place, nor does recreational hunting — as required by law — contribute to a species-rich wildlife population. The issue of food procurement — increasingly cited as an argument in favor of recreational hunting — is also of secondary importance, explains Wildtierschutz Deutschland.

In Germany, there are approximately 360’000 hunting licence holders between the ages of 16 and 98. Year after year, they kill approximately seven million animals according to official figures. These include (legally) species listed on the Red Lists of the federal states and/or the federal government as being at risk (e.g. grey partridge, Eurasian woodcock, European hare), as well as dogs and cats, and species (illegally) that are strictly protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act (e.g. jackdaw, rook, common raven, numerous waterfowl species, birds of prey).

Recreational Hunting Drives Wildlife Populations Higher

Under hunting laws made by hobby hunters (!) themselves, recreational hunting is supposed to serve the regulation of wildlife populations — which seems straightforward enough at first: the more animals are killed, the lower the populations. But a look at the statistics tells a different story: in the early 1980s, around 150’000 wild boar and 850’000 roe deer were shot by hobby hunters each year; today — 30 years later — it is 500’000 wild boar and 1.1 million roe deer every year*).

Wildlife populations are not declining — they are continuously rising. There are many reasons for this. One reason is the practice known as “Hege” (game management). This refers to the care of wildlife populations and their habitats. It benefits almost exclusively huntable species and, in recent decades, has contributed to the relatively high populations of roe deer and wild boar seen today, particularly through year-round supplemental feeding.

Another reason for the rise in wildlife populations is the destruction of social structures. Within wild boar families, for example, these structures provide a natural form of birth control. When this mechanism is no longer available, populations grow exponentially.

There is extensive scientific and research evidence for these connections. One example comes from the hunting-free zone of the Bavarian Forest National Park. While foxes there produce an average of only 1.7 pups per litter, in intensively hunted territories the number is three to four times higher.

Hobby Hunting and Food Production

Of the approximately seven million animals that die each year in Germany as a result of recreational hunting — how many of them actually end up in the cooking pot?

Certainly not the cats, nor the swans, not the magpies, the jays, the carrion crows, rarely a wild goose — their meat is far too tough — hardly any wild ducks or wild rabbits, and not the foxes, raccoons, or martens either. What remains are mainly wild boar, roe deer, and a few hares. But even then, only a portion of those. Wild boar from south-western Germany are often contaminated with radioactivity — a lasting legacy of Chernobyl. A large proportion of animals have released stress hormones due to injuries and flight — their meat is bitter and inedible. Other animals simply have nothing to offer in terms of weight, because they are still young or have become emaciated. All told, it is safe to assume that at least 70% — roughly five million animals — are buried or otherwise disposed of after being killed in the hunt.

Speaking of food. Around 60% of Germany’s demand for venison and game meat is imported, largely from Poland or New Zealand. The Federal Office for Risk Assessment warns against consuming game meat: wild meat is among the most heavily lead-contaminated foods available.

Pain and Suffering — What Recreational Hunting Means for Wildlife

Shot … and dead! In many cases, this simply isn't true. Among other things, studies in Great Britain have demonstrated this. Researchers examined the accuracy of inexperienced, semi-trained, and experienced hobby hunters shooting at moving paper silhouettes of a fox. Based on the location of the bullet holes and the calculated penetration depth of the projectiles, it was concluded that under normal field conditions, every second fox would have been merely wounded by a gunshot injury. The Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare (TVT) reports on studies showing that after driven hunts, two thirds of wild boar exhibit non-immediately fatal shots: to the back, abdomen, or legs. Among roe deer, approximately 60% of female animals showed abdominal shots.

Foxes are hunted primarily during the winter months. Snow makes hobby hunting easier, and the otherwise alert animals become incautious, as this is now the mating season for foxes. For many fox cubs that are born from April onwards, this means growing up without their father. Yet he plays an essential role in their upbringing by providing food. As a consequence, the young foxes are often physically weakened, and their chances of survival are significantly lower than those of fox cubs that grew up with a provider.

Winter rest is a survival strategy for many wild animals during harsh times. Deer and roe deer reduce their body temperature in winter to conserve energy. When these animals are disturbed and forced to flee by cross-territory driven hunts involving hobby hunters, beaters, and dogs, the body ramps up its reduced metabolism. The energy loss cannot be compensated due to a lack of food — the animals starve, or they are forced to eat buds and tree bark, causing damage to the forest.

An end to hobby hunting!

So, if hobby hunting is not at all what it claims to be, if a sustainable reduction of wildlife populations is not actually achieved, if nature conservation organizations question the contribution of hobby hunting to wildlife protection, if veterinarians and animal welfare organizations identify animal cruelty in the context of hobby hunting, and if one must explain to the public why five out of seven million animals die each year as carcass disposal waste — why do we need hobby hunting in its current form? Specialist literature, hunting magazines, and hunting forums provide an answer: they portray hobby hunting as an adventure, and for recreational hunters it represents pleasure and passion.

A pleasure that creates suffering. Wildlife Protection Germany and many like-minded organizations, initiatives, and individuals want to put an end to this practice.

*) including approx. 15% road casualties

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