Luxembourg: Fox hunting to be banned
The government in Luxembourg has extended the ban on fox hunting by another year.
According to Camille Gira, State Secretary at the Ministry of Sustainability, there are no grounds to amend the existing regulation. The «conseil supérieur de la chasse» also unanimously gave the green light in an expert opinion.
“I am pleased that farmers and recreational hunters no longer have any major issues with the ban”, said Gira.
A total of 148 fox carcasses were collected as part of a study, most of which were animals that had been hit by vehicles. In around one third of cases, the fox tapeworm was detected, and none were found to be infected with rabies. “These are normal average values,” said Gira. No major problems such as a population explosion or attacks on livestock had been observed in practice either.
In a single case, a poultry farmer was repeatedly visited by the same fox, resulting in considerable damage. The animal was subsequently culled.
It was also decided to permit the use of silenced firearms for recreational hunting in future.
Update 9 June 2016: The fox hunting ban is lawful – recreational hunters in Luxembourg now have it in black and white.
The one-year hunting ban on foxes would have expired on 29 February. But on Friday, a further twelve months were added.
The dispute over fox hunting is set to enter the next round. The Luxembourg government decided on Friday that the ban on fox hunting will remain in place for another year. Originally, the moratorium was due to expire on 29 February.
The government has now announced that an expert group is to reassess the situation. Are the concerns of recreational hunters justified or not? In addition, the new round is to monitor the fox population and examine 150 to 200 carcasses annually for disease. The government reserves the right to lift the ban at any time should this be necessary in light of a public health risk.
After the first ban last year, recreational hunters reacted with a storm of indignation. They took action against it with a petition, which was also very successful, gathering over 10’000 signatures. As a result, those responsible were allowed to present their case in the Chamber — apparently, however, their arguments did not lead to a change of heart.
The Mouvement écologique welcomes the extension of the hunting ban on foxes. The environmental organization disputes claims that the fox population would now be exploding, stating that there is no scientific evidence whatsoever to support this.
What is actually true, they argue, is that foxes and humans are encountering each other more frequently due to the ever-increasing encroachment of humans into wildlife habitats. Outlying farms in particular act as veritable food magnets for the animals. Cat food, compost heaps, and waste are luring the animals into towns and cities.
Fox tapeworm not a real problem
In the urban area of Zurich alone, for example, around 800 foxes live within the city boundaries. There have been no hygiene issues there, as simple measures such as washing one's hands are sufficient.
With only two cases of illness per year across Europe, the fox tapeworm is not a real problem despite its potential danger. Furthermore, dogs and free-roaming cats are also carriers of this parasite. The fox, as a hunter of mice, also helps prevent the spread of diseases such as Hanta virus or Lyme disease.
Scientific committee welcomed
The fight against rabies has shown that intensive hunting does not lead to a decline in the population. More hunting only leads to faster reproduction among the animals, according to the Mouvement.
The environmental association welcomes the establishment of a scientific committee to monitor the development of the fox population . It remains in favour of hunting certain wildlife species in order to maintain the ecological balance. However, this does not apply to the fox in any way.
Update: 21.4.2015
Recreational hunters are continuing their fight against the fox hunting ban in parliament. Those opposed to fox hunting are also keeping up the pressure. 11’000 signatures have already been collected.
Starting in April, foxes in Luxembourg will initially be protected from being shot for one year. The reason: foxes regulate themselves and pose no danger to people or nature, according to the Ministry of the Environment. Recreational hunters have been up in arms since this regulation was announced. The hunting association FSHCL recently secured a parliamentary hearing on the subject of the fox hunting ban. Recreational hunters fear that the one-year ban will cause a drastic increase in the fox population in Luxembourg, which could lead to a rise in fox tapeworm infections.
In response to the recent “gains” made by recreational hunters regarding the ban, animal rights activist Alix Rassel, together with the Facebook group “Luxembourg for Foxes” and Wildtierschutz Deutschland e.V., has collected around 11’000 signatures in support of maintaining the controversial fox hunting ban. In a press release on Tuesday, she put forward arguments against the concerns raised by recreational hunters.
Scientists refute recreational hunters’ concerns in Luxembourg
Lovis Kauertz of Wildtierschutz Deutschland e.V. takes the view that there is no reasonable justification for hunting foxes. Kauertz points to numerous scientific studies that contradict the arguments put forward by the hunting association FSHCL.
The hunting association believes, among other things, that a ban would significantly increase fox populations. A case from Great Britain provides an example showing this is not the case. In 2001, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease meant that fox hunting was prohibited for a year. Once the ban was lifted, scientists found — contrary to widespread fears — that fox populations had not increased at all.
Furthermore, opponents of hunting cite a scientific study demonstrating that birth rates within fox populations decline over time. Scientists refer to this phenomenon as the “flexible social structures” of the red fox.
Recreational hunters fear a fox plague. Animal welfare advocates disagree.
According to Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, fox hunting will soon be completely banned. Within villages and towns, foxes are to be caught using traps. The hunting association and the Chamber of Agriculture are outraged by this decision and fear a fox plague.
«It can be assumed that the fox population in Luxembourg will double or triple. The ban on hunting is therefore irresponsible", according to a statement. There are fears that the animals will be pushed into gardens and playgrounds, where people could become infected through excrement. Around one third of foxes are said to be infected with the fox tapeworm.
The recreational hunters and farmers also argue on animal welfare grounds. Far more foxes would threaten bird species that nest on the ground. Their nests would be defenceless against these animals.
The Netherlands had bad experiences with the ban on fox hunting. After the number of foxes doubled, it had to be reintroduced after four years due to massive problems, the letter states.
Animal welfare advocates contradict recreational hunters in Luxembourg
Animal welfare advocates argue that fox populations regulate themselves. When there is too little food, fewer offspring are born. If populations become too small, foxes will produce more young.
The website wildtierschutz-deutschland.de states, for example: «Recreational hunting favours high fox populations and has no or only a marginal influence on the population of ground-nesting birds.» Contrary to the claims of recreational hunters, diseases originating from foxes also play only a minor role for humans and their surroundings. «Rabies has been eradicated, and the probability of becoming infected with the fox tapeworm is far lower than winning the lottery.»
Update March 2026: The fox hunting ban in Luxembourg remains in place. The Luxembourg government expressly confirmed the ban in 2024. The infection rate of the fox tapeworm has even decreased since the hunting ban. The IG Wild beim Wild has published a model text for the ban on fox hunting in Swiss cantons.
Related dossiers and articles:
- Dossier: Fox hunting without facts – How JagdSchweiz invents problems
- Dossier: Hunting and wildlife diseases
- Dossier: Hunting myths – 12 claims you should examine critically
- Dossier: Hunting and biodiversity
- Model text: Ban on fox hunting
- Model text: Recreational hunting and wildlife diseases
- End fox hunting
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Jetzt spenden →More on the subject of recreational hunting: What the research says about this is shown by Hunting fact-checked: the state of research.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
