Hunt in Winterthur ends with penalties for two hobby hunters
In Switzerland (and in most European countries), the rule is: anyone who shoots at wild animals must verify whether the animal was hit.
On the night of Halloween 2024, a botched wild boar hunt took place in Stadel, a district of Oberwinterthur.
Two hobby hunters — one in his mid-40s, the other in his late 20s — spotted a sounder of wild boars, stalked them, and simultaneously fired shots at two of thewild animalsNone of the shots was fatal, yet at least onewild boarwas injured and bleeding. The younger hunter was at the time undergoing hunting training under the older one. Furthermore, the idea for the wild boar hunt had come from the older hunter. Accordingly, the public prosecutor’s office assigned him primary responsibility.
Instead of searching for the animal with a tracking dog as required by law, the men called off thehuntAccording to the public prosecutor’s office, a proper search could have significantly reduced the suffering of the injured animal.
The younger hobbyhunteralso came to attention through further violations: between spring and autumn 2024, he killed 21 animals in the Zürich Weinland — including roe deer, badgers, foxes, and another wild boar — without a valid hunting licence, as reported by theTagesanzeiger.
The penalties in detail:
- Younger hobby hunter: fine of 900 francs (suspended), plus a penalty of 800 francs and 1,200 francs in court costs.
- Older hobby hunter: As the instructor and initiator of the wild boar hunt, he received a fine of 1,500 francs (suspended), a penalty of 900 francs, and 1,200 francs in court costs.
And there are still people who believe hobby hunters undergo proper training. It is a militant sect, nothing more, nothing less. Unlike police officers or armed security personnel, psychological fitness tests are not mandatory for hobby hunters. Violations are often only prosecuted when someone files a complaint or someone is caught by chance. Within the hunting community, rule-breaking is silently tolerated when it happens “among themselves.” Laws are seen more as guidelines than obligations. IG Wild beim Wild demands stricter sanctions for violations, including lifetime hunting bans in serious cases.
Most violations are only discovered when witnesses or chance are involved. Sanctions are often mild and time-limited. There is no mandatory, continuous fitness assessment — once passed, rarely reviewed for years. Thereafter, there is virtually no obligation for continuing education or re-examinations. And the major cantonal differences make the system full of loopholes.
The public prosecutor's office therefore held the two hobby hunters accountable for negligent violation of the Animal Welfare Act and negligent contravention of the cantonal hunting law.
The penalty order issued by the Winterthur-Unterland Public Prosecutor's Office is legally binding.
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