Uri Initiative for Ptarmigan and Mountain Hare Is Underway
The Uri initiative «Ptarmigan and Mountain Hare — Let Them Live!» collected the required signatures within ten days.
600 Signatures in Ten Days
Ten days after its launch, the Uri initiative «Ptarmigan and Mountain Hare — Let Them Live!» has already succeeded, according to the committee.
The 600 signatures required for the initiative to be valid have been gathered. However, the initiative has not yet been officially submitted.
The rapid collection of signatures shows that the population of Uri wishes to give ptarmigan and mountain hares hope, the initiative committee announced. The committee consists of a broad alliance of Uri residents. Co-presidents are cantonal councillor Ludwig Loretz (FDP) and cantonal councillor Chiara Gisler (SP).
With this popular initiative, the committee opposes the cantonal council’s decision from last October. With 30 votes to 23, the council decided that ptarmigan and mountain hares should remain huntable.
Fighting Hobby Hunting of Endangered Species
The initiative committee argues that, unlike red deer or wild boar, ptarmigan and mountain hares cause neither damage to agricultural crops nor to forests that would justify regulation. There are no biological or scientific justifications for hunting them, nor any ecological benefit.
Climate Change Shrinks Their Habitat
The population is continuously declining and the animals are already listed on the Red List of endangered species, the committee notes. This is primarily attributed to climate change, which is causing the habitat of ptarmigan and mountain hares to shrink. The animals are being pushed ever higher into areas still covered by snow.
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