Hobby hunter and soldier tortured badger to death

Some people should truly never be allowed to handle a weapon.

A soldier and a hobby hunter amused themselves by tormenting a helpless badger for days on end.

The badger had previously fallen into the pit of an obstacle course and was unable to get out. The hunting and conservation ring leader had advised by telephone to place a long piece of wood into the two-metre-deep pit as a step to help the badger climb out. Instead, the soldier in charge contacted an acquaintance. This acquaintance is himself a hobby hunter, but had no jurisdiction over the matter. The man brought his small-calibre rifle and fired it repeatedly at the badger, which was trapped in the pit measuring two metres deep and three metres wide.

According to the accounts, one can scarcely imagine the death throes the poor badger must have endured after seven shots still failed to end its suffering — only to be beaten to death by the said soldier the following day. How cowardly an act, when the victim is trapped at the bottom of a two-metre-deep pit?

Army spokesman and Major Rene Auer assured the Kronen Zeitung that the Austrian Federal Army naturally regretted the incident in the strongest terms, emphasising that the protection of animals is a matter of particular importance to the armed forces. After all, the care and welfare of animals entrusted to various army units is a central concern. The army intends to carefully assess how such misconduct by a member of staff could have occurred and to adapt its service regulations if necessary, reports heute.at.