Hobby Hunters Endanger People and Animals

A danger to all living beings: People are regularly killed or injured by hobby hunters. Just the weekend before last, a six-year-old girl in Saara, Thuringia, was seriously injured by a shot allegedly fired by a hobby hunter. The following Monday, a man died in a hunting accident in Ochtrup, North Rhine-Westphalia; two days later, a hobby hunter was killed by a shot while driving wildlife from a field in Unterwellenborn, Thuringia. In addition, millions of woodland animals suffer greatly every year. PETA has been calling for a ban on this questionable leisure activity for years. A representative Forsa survey conducted this month on behalf of the animal rights organisation confirms that 49 percent — a majority of German citizens — also oppose hobby hunting.

The irresponsible and unreflective behavior of hobby hunters is meeting with growing criticism from the public. Year after year, numerous tragedies occur because trigger-happy recreational shooters blast away recklessly. Legislative intervention is long overdue.

Peter Höffken, Policy Adviser at PETA

Forsa Survey: 49% Against Hobby Hunting

Between 3 and 5 July 2018, the opinion research institute Forsa asked 1’064 people on behalf of PETA who should be entitled to hunt. The results revealed that a narrow majority of Germans oppose hobby hunting: 49 percent believe that only professional hunters should be allowed to hunt. 45 percent, on the other hand, are of the opinion that hunting should also be permitted as a hobby.

According to the survey, women, respondents from major cities with more than 500’000 inhabitants, and supporters of the Left Party are more likely than average to oppose hobby hunting. Hobby hunters are supported above average by men, people from towns with fewer than 5’000 inhabitants, and supporters of the CDU/CSU, the FDP, and the AfD.

Up to 70% of animals not killed instantly

Hobby hunters repeatedly cause great suffering to both humans and animals. Several dozen Germans are killed or injured by hunting weapons every year. In driven and battue hunts, wild animals are terrorized by dogs and driven in front of guns. According to the Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare, up to 70% are not killed instantly. They flee wounded with shattered bones and protruding intestines, often suffering for days before dying a slow and painful death. In trap hunting too, many animals often suffer for several days with crushed limbs caught in traps.

Such practices are an unacceptable and brutal form of recreational activity that is being criticized with increasing frequency. Respected scientists and wildlife biologists agree that there is no ecological justification for hobby hunting. Among others, the renowned wildlife biologist Prof. Dr. Josef Reichholf emphasises that animal populations regulate themselves through food availability, social structure, and disease. Hobby hunting destroys this natural balance and leads to population increases. Population declines in affected species are almost exclusively attributable to habitat loss caused by intensive agriculture and dwindling food supplies. More on the animal welfare problem of hobby hunting.