Graubünden Hobby Hunters Against the Hunting Initiative

In the current issue of the trade paper «Bündner Jäger», the president of the local hobby hunters takes a position on the upcoming popular vote of 13 June 2021 «For a nature-compatible and ethical hunt.«

A hunter's conduct in politics is always a reflection of how they present themselves in nature or in society.

And there is a long series of utterly shameful reports that fail to meet high ecological, wildlife-biological, animal welfare, or socioeconomic standards.

It is precisely for this reason that committees of hunters and non-hunters were formed to push for themodernisation of the barbaric hunting abuses in the canton of Graubünden. From this emerged, for example, the popular initiative to abolish the special hunt.

The two-tier Graubünden hunting model with its main hunt and special hunt raises questions not only from an animal welfare perspective. During the special or autumn hunt for red deer and roe deer, which extends well into December, the operational hunting regulations are considerably more relaxed than during the September hunt. This means that animal welfare violations are accepted to a greater degree. During the special hunt — unlike during the September hunt — nursing hinds and roe does, as well as their young, may also be shot. In practice, however, this can hardly be carried out in every case without violating animal welfare standards.

The principle of fair chase, which is supposed to underpin all hunting activity and is also enshrined in law in the canton of Graubünden, is undermined by the operational hunting provisions governing the special hunt.

Hunting activities place a particular burden on game animals due to the loud, far-reaching gunshots and the direct threat posed to the animals themselves. From a legal perspective, it would be worth examining in concrete hardship cases — for example, during extreme weather conditions — whether the hobby hunters involved are guilty of an unnecessary activity and thus of animal cruelty within the meaning of the Animal Welfare Act; for instance, in the case of the senseless fox hunt during the foxes' mating season in winter, or during bird hunting.

Special hunts are, as the name suggests, a form of remedial action. When remedial action becomes the norm, something is wrong with the science, wildlife biology, planning, and execution — and this has been the case in Graubünden for over 30 years. For decades, it has been widely known beyond the canton's borders that hunting in Graubünden does little to promote an ethical relationship with our fellow living creatures. Year after year, the hobby hunters spin tales for the public.

The persistently high hunting pressure has not regulated the population to the desired level, but has instead kept it highly productive at an elevated level. This means: the more roe deer or red deer are shot, the more rapidly they reproduce.

IG Wild beim Wild

Reducing the number of kills reduces the reproduction rate, say experts who have not fallen for hunters' folklore. For this reason, hunting in Graubünden is highly counterproductive. It does not reduce an animal population — it leads to uncontrolled proliferation. In hunting-free areas such as the National Park, animal populations exist in a natural equilibrium.

Even without hunting, there would not suddenly be too many foxes, hares, or birds. Experience shows that nature can be left to its own devices.

Heinrich Haller, National Park Director and Wildlife Biologist

Flashback

In February 2019, a hunting dog chases a roe deer through the streets of Davos-Clavadel before killing it. Residents are shocked by the reaction of the president of the Graubünden hunters' association, Tarzisius Caviezel. He is reported to have beaten his dog badly. Caviezel denies the multiple witness statements, writes Blick.

«It was truly terrible when my children and I had to watch as Caviezel kicked and beat his dog repeatedly as punishment», says the mother. He also took the roe deer and placed it over the roadside barrier. «He was obviously trying to break the animal's neck», she recounts.

Incidentally, the carrion hunter has also been on the board of the Swiss hunting association Jagd Schweiz since 2010, where he heads the communications department. He himself describes hunting as a feverish disease from which he cannot be cured. His favourite quote is:

Lies are most prevalent before an election, during a war, and after a hunt.

Otto von Bismarck (1815 – 1898)

Indeed,recreational hunting is always something pathological, in which lying is par for the course and wild animals are the ones who suffer. Violence and lies are two sides of the same coin.

Jagd Schweiz is the umbrella organisation of Swiss recreational hunters. According to its statutes, the association represents the interests of around 30,000 hunters from all parts of the country, both at home and abroad. In its capacity, this militant organisation bears responsibility for the existence in Switzerland of this questionable association, whose members, according to media reports, are demonstrably involved year after year in violations numbering in the thousands — including breaches of hunting law, poaching, arms smuggling, environmental and traffic offences, animal welfare violations, and other criminal acts. For example, according to the Office for Hunting and Fisheries in the canton of Graubünden, there are more than 1,000 reports and/or fines every year against recreational hunters who are affiliated with Jagd Schweiz through the cantonal associations.

Evidently, the gun-toting hunters of Graubünden are neither well trained nor possessed of a sound moral compass. And now, according to their president, they are supposed to beat the drum for alcohol, child abuse, or abhorrent violence.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is committed, pursuant to Art. 19, to protecting minors from the harmful effects of violence. The Convention on the Rights of the Child includes, among other things, the right of all minors to physical and psychological integrity, as well as the obligation of states to guarantee the protection of these rights.

The president of the Graubünden hobby hunters always acts as though people from Graubünden are incapable of anything — except violence. And that is supposed to be ethical? In the canton of Zurich, for example, there is an alcohol ban while hunting.

Immunocontraception is used today to control animal populations in the wild or in zoos. Unlike hormonal methods, immunocontraception has virtually no side effects. So far, immunocontraceptive applications have been successfully tested in over 100 different animal species, including wild horses, deer, wild boar, bison, squirrels, dogs, cats, African elephants, and others. Studies have shown that deer treated in this way are infertile for up to 5 years, for example.

Manipulative Hypocrisy

Those who kill senselessly are not protecting anything, and civilized society gains nothing from it. Today's hunting in Graubünden, with all its cruelty to animals, is carried out predominantlyNOT! in the interest of society, nature, biodiversity, or the cultural landscape. Animals are not objects. Thou shalt not kill is taught in church. This is a higher cultural value. Non-violence is what distinguishes humans from predators in the animal world.

Hunters do not only cause serious, deliberate disruptions to the natural balance of species through small game hunting .

The lowland hunt is not necessary, but it is permitted. One might equally ask whether it makes sense to gather berries and mushrooms in the forest.

Robert Brunold, former president of the Graubünden hobby hunters

A passion for hunting is not a mandate given by society, nor a right, and it cannot be one. The risk group of hobby hunters promotes a culture of gratuitous violence all the way into primary schools.

Every act of violence manifests something that exists pathologically within the hobby hunter, but which is not permitted to unfold in everyday life because society no longer tolerates it. War, torture, persecution, rape, violence, killing, and execution as instruments of power for dominating fellow human beings are no longer accepted in our cultural sphere. But killing has a component to it, and hunting remains a stage on which this power is acted out. Animals are the suffering victims in this unfair game, made available for it by backward laws.

Relevant hunting magazines such as the «Graubünden Hunter» are full of pictures and accounts from the at-risk group of hobby hunters in the grip of hunting fever, or holding weapons and posing in dominant positions over their victims. Such magazines stimulate hunters' fantasies of wanting to hunt more and more, everywhere around the world. Hobby hunters need these kinds of photographs and films to feel important.In the army, people who engage in such self-promotion are dishonorably discharged and referred to psychiatric care.

Hunting weapons lead to abuse in all of our social lives. Time and again, suicides involving firearms occur, along with threats and deadly tragedies. Year after year, countless people are killed and injured by hobby hunters and hunting weapons, some so severely that they end up in wheelchairs or require limb amputations.

The canton of Graubünden has the highest number of hunting accidents, followed by hunting accidents abroad. The cantons of Ticino, Aargau, Valais, St. Gallen, and Bern follow.

The largest age group among amateur hunters is those aged 65 and over — those with age-related weaknesses in vision, concentration, and reaction time, as well as deficiencies in training and practice. From the age of 40 onwards, the number of accidents rises dramatically.

• Every tenth deer in Graubünden is only wounded rather than killed outright.

A hunting accident occurs every 29 hours and every 3.5 months there is a fatality to mourn in Switzerland. For good reason, police and military forces no longer send older personnel into armed operations involving dangerous firearms.

If the police or military regularly had as many casualties as the hunting disorder in Graubünden produces, hardly anyone would speak of responsible handling of weapons.

Both the accuracy of hobby hunters,alcohol consumption, and the sheer number of hunting accidents in general are cause for serious concern.

Cherry-picking by the government

If this initiative from 2014 «For a nature-compatible and ethical hunt» were so anti-hunting, why have several of its points already been implemented by the government? Clearly, because hunting in Graubünden is in urgent need of reform.

In recent years, a largely comprehensive ban on trap hunting, the introduction of mandatory shooting proficiency for hunters, and lead-free rifle and shotgun ammunition have been introduced, meaning that various concerns raised by the initiative have already been implemented.

Graubünden Government, 26.11.2020

According to the hunting-world absurdity in the «Bündner Jäger», the government’s selective implementation of the initiative «For a nature-compatible and ethical hunt» effectively amounted to harming hunting and cultural heritage – a first step toward the abolition of hunting.

Notably, the government under Mario Cavigelli, which has been repeatedly reprimanded and corrected by the Federal Court in Lausanne or the FOEN for misassessments regarding the hunting mismanagement in the canton of Graubünden.

Cantonal Councillor Mario Cavigelli has caused much frustration, disruption, and expense for initiative committees, taxpayers, and others, and has deliberately misled the entire population for many years. There is no doubt that Cantonal Councillor Mario Cavigelli (CVP) has lied to everyone, time and again, regarding the hunting mismanagement.

• Contradictory Graubünden Wolf Kill Statistics

The Initiative

The initiators of the initiative comprising nine demands, «For a nature-compatible and ethical hunt», make clear:

Unfortunately, the intention of wanting to abolish hunting with this initiative has been repeatedly attributed to us, which is simply not the case.

Regular hunting has a long tradition in Graubünden. The hunting law that regulates hunting in Graubünden has been only marginally adapted in the 40 years since its inception. Little to no consideration has been given to new developments such as the return of the wolf, changes in the environment, or changes in the behavior of wild animals. With this initiative, we address these changes in order to make hunting in Graubünden fit for the future. Vote YES for a modern Graubünden hunt.  

Wildlife Protection Switzerland

They demand that the following 9 points be incorporated into the existing Graubünden hunting law. Some points have been partially adopted by the government in recent years (see above) or have already been implemented. However, there is absolutely no mention of abolishing hunting anywhere, despite false claims to the contrary from hunting circles.

• 1. Pregnant and nursing female deer, as well as female roe deer and their young, must be protected as a general rule.
• 2. Killing traps and the baiting of animals must be prohibited.
• 3. All birds not protected under federal law shall not be subject to hunting.
• 4. A general winter rest period for all wildlife from November 1st until the start of the main hunting season.
• 5. In the Office for Hunting and Fishing, as well as on the Hunting Commission, animal welfare advocates/hunters and non-hunters must be represented on an equal basis.
• 6. Blood alcohol limits in accordance with road traffic legislation shall apply when hunting.
• 7. Hunting fitness and marksmanship must be reviewed periodically (analogous to fitness to drive under road traffic law). From 2016 onwards, only lead-free ammunition may be used.
• 8. Children up to the age of 12 may not be taken hunting and may not be encouraged to take up hunting through school.
• 9. In the case of any extraordinary damage, the wildlife authority may only carry out population management measures if all other conceivable protective measures have proven ineffective.

Ordinary residents of Graubünden are constantly subjected to fear-mongering by hunting circles through absurd claims and propaganda.

Natural Disaster: Hobby Hunters

In the state of disarray in which nature finds itself after decades of management and stewardship by hobby hunters, the proportion of endangered species is greater than in any other country in the world — and that country is Switzerland. These hired killers have been creating an ecological imbalance in the cultural landscape for decades, with partly dramatic consequences (protective forests, disease, agricultural damage, and much more). Over a third of plant,wildlife, and fungal species are considered threatened. Switzerland also brings up the rear across Europe when it comes to designating protected areas for biodiversity. It is precisely these circles of hobby hunters — through their lobbying efforts in politics, the media, and legislation — who have been responsible for this situation for decades. They are the ones who notoriously block timely, ethical improvements in animal welfare and sabotage serious animal and species protection. Hobby hunters regularly oppose greater Schweiz ist europaweit beim Ausscheiden von Schutzflächen für die Biodiversität ebenfalls Schlusslicht. Es sind genau immer auch diese Kreise aus Hobby-Jägern mit ihrer Lobbyarbeit, die über die Politik, Medien und Gesetze seit Jahrzehnten dafür verantwortlich zu machen sind. Sie sind es, die zeitgemässe, ethische Tierschutzverbesserungen notorisch blockieren und den seriösen Tier- und Artenschutz sabotieren. Hobby-Jäger wehren sich regelmässig gegen mehr National Parks in Switzerland, because they are not concerned with nature, biodiversity, and species protection or animal welfare, but rather with pursuing their perverse, bloody hobby.

Did you know …

• that in Switzerland innocent young wolves are being eliminated?
• that hobby hunters lie when assessing game meat quality and that according to the WHO, processed game meat is carcinogenic — just like cigarettes, asbestos, or arsenic?
• that according to studies, nowhere is the lead contamination of golden eagles and bearded vultures higher than in the Swiss Alps, due to ammunition used by hobby hunters?
• that the fair chase ethics of hobby hunters are diametrically opposed to animal welfare legislation and are nothing but a mirage?
• that hunting is war, where animal competitors are simply eliminated?
• that there are countless illegal and unmarked hunting stands in our countryside, some so rotten that they pose a danger to children and could cost people their lives?
• that year after year, countless people are killed or injured by hunters’ weapons, some so severely that they end up in wheelchairs or have limbs amputated?
• that in Switzerland, around 120,000 perfectly healthy roe deer, red deer, foxes, marmots, and chamois are killed every year, mostly without purpose?
• that because of hobby hunters, it is today barely possible to live in harmony with wildlife or to even see wild animals?
• that shotgun blasts make hares scream like small children, and tear apart the entrails of “shot” roe deer and red deer so that they leave a blood trail during their flight for hunters to follow?
• that the claim by hobby hunters that the cruel wildlife massacres are necessary to regulate animal populations has been scientifically refuted?
• that hobby hunters openly admit that hunting is about the “pleasure of killing” and “the joy of making a kill” — a pathological passion?
• that hobby hunters have no sixth sense and yet regularly claim they only shoot sick and weak animals — which is of course not true in practice?
• that hobby hunters travel abroad for trophy hunting, far beyond any species protection or hunting regulations, and that there are even Swiss hobby hunter travel agencies offering such mindless hunting pleasures?
• that the overwhelming majority are not licensed professional hunters, but pursue hunting as a hobby, sport, and leisure activity — which is morally questionable and in fact contradicts animal welfare legislation?
• that 99.07% of civilized people in Switzerland are not hobby hunters, meaning only 0.3% of hobby hunters take pleasure in these bloody activities?
• that these wildlife killers do not hunt based on scientific justifications?
• that protected species do not actually belong under hunting law, because hobby hunters are overwhelmed by the demands of species conservation and repeatedly shoot animals listed on the Red List — such as lynx, wolf, brown hare, grey partridge, quail, etc. — for sport?
• that hobby hunters deliberately decimate certain animal species to eliminate competition for themselves, due to their unnatural behavior (fox, lynx, wolf, birds of prey, etc.)?
• that wildlife often dies before a hobby hunter can even fire a single shot, that preventing this is a priority, and that this is arguably the central idea behind wildlife stewardship, habitat management, and hunting planning?
• that in wild boar (and fox) populations, normally only the lead sow produces young, but because she is shot, all female animals within the sounder begin to reproduce — which is also why we have a wild boar overpopulation problem?
• that grazing animals — deer, roe deer, etc. — originally lived primarily as diurnal animals on fields and meadows, like goats, sheep, and cows, and not in forests?
• that the wolf is vitally important for the long-term health of wild ungulates, because it hunts sick or weak animals with remarkable precision, for example, and is therefore vastly superior to hobby hunters?
• that foxes, after being senselessly hunted, usually end up in the trash?
• that foxes are hunted today primarily so that there are more hares, etc. for hobby hunters’ frying pans? Yet that the fox’s diet consists of more than 90% non-hare prey, and that it would never catch a healthy hare?
• that in animal welfare, you cannot respond to hobby hunters with gentleness alone, street festivals, prayer chains, etc. (you need to fight fire with fire)?
• that hobby hunters, with their hunters’ tall tales engage in a disrespectful mockery of living beings?
• that it is considered dishonorable to shoot big game at a feeding site or during the mating season, yet the hobby hunter has no scruples about doing exactly this with the fox, a competitor for prey?
• that in some cantons, hobby hunters go hunting solely for the sake of a young animal’s tender meat?
• that hobby hunters shoot pregnant mother animals in front of their young, or only target young animals during the rearing period (Post-Special-Hunt)?
• that hobby hunters poison the environment, nature, humans, and animals with their ammunition?
• that bestiality, barbarism, cruelty, bloodshed, and senseless suffering cannot be considered cultural heritage in a civilized society?
• that hobby hunters shoot approximately 10’000 roe deer fawns every year?
• that hobby hunters, in harsh winters, lure starving animals with food only to shoot them in a treacherous and cowardly manner?
• that hobby hunters drive attack-trained dogs into burrows to eliminate foxes and badgers (earth hunting)?
• that hobby hunters lure peaceful creatures into box traps, where they may suffer for days awaiting their killer, or are often subjected to an agonizing death struggle lasting hours (trap hunting)?
• that hobby hunters cowardly ambush and kill or wound peaceful wild animals while they sleep or bask in the sun, using high-tech precision weapons?
• that hobby hunters support awards, fur markets, prize ceremonies for trophy cults, trophy shows, fur trading, and so on?
• that hobby hunters place firearms in the hands of underage schoolchildren and practice killing with them?
• that hobby hunters often carry out their cruel acts in isolation, which encourages animal cruelty?
• that hobby hunters frequently only seriously wound wild animals, and the victims often suffer for hours in tremendous pain and fear until a tracking dog finds them and they are shot?
• that hobby hunters (apart from vivisection) inflict the most suffering and abuse on animals, including through their methods of killing?
• that the hunter’s so-called love of animals and nature takes no joy in the existence of the beloved object, but rather aims to possess the beloved creature body and soul, culminating in making it prey through the act of killing?
• that hobby hunters actively promote browsing damage through hunting pressure, particularly on predators such as foxes, lynx, and wolves?
• that hobby hunters open the door to antisocial, unethical, and unchristian behavior?
• that hobby hunters deny the general public normal, natural wildlife observation and interaction?
• that there is no greater product of suffering — and one contaminated with ammunition residue — than game meat?
• that there is no uniform regulation across Switzerland regarding vision tests, shooting practice, and so on for hobby hunters?
• that there is no psychological character assessment for hobby hunters?
• that there is no alcohol ban for hobby hunters when they shoot at animals with their weapons?
• that hobby hunters infiltrate educational institutions to push their hunting tall tales and their culture of violence on children?
• that a court in Bellinzona recently confirmed that hunting clubs promote practically everything that is cruel, unnecessary, and heartless?
• that the association «Jagd Schweiz» primarily cultivates disrespect and a culture of violence — the exact opposite of what a civilized person in our society should aspire to.
• that in the canton of Graubünden alone, over 1’000 complaints and fines are issued against hobby hunters every year?

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