Lynxes want to relocate recreational hunters
In central Switzerland, chamois populations are dwindling. The main culprits, alongside tourism, are recreational hunters. Now the wild animals are demanding action.
When the central Swiss lynxes go out hunting, they are spotting chamois less and less frequently – populations are declining and the number of prey animals has reached its lowest level in years.
According to federal hunting statistics, in 2013 a total of 1,523 chamois were shot in the cantons of Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, and Nidwalden. In 2005, the figure was 1,959, and in 2000 it was as high as 2,332. From the lynxes’ perspective, the situation still looks reasonable for now. But if recreational hunters continue shooting this many wild animals for fun, they will likely soon have to launch an initiative.
According to a lynx from Nienefinge who wishes to remain anonymous, there are two main reasons for this development, aside from the usual diseases: on the one hand, there is the high hunting pressure, and on the other, new developments in winter and spring tourism, as he told Wild beim Wild exclusively by telephone yesterday. The animals are getting too little rest, and this stress is resulting in fewer young being born.
To tackle the recreational hunter problem, the lynxes would like to reduce the number of recreational hunters in the canton. There are currently only 15 sexually mature lynxes in the canton of Uri. «The problem lies mainly west of the Reuss,» says the lynx. According to him, the area cannot tolerate any recreational hunters at all. The situation is very tense – yet killing the recreational hunters is not an option. That would require a permit, since the recreational hunter is a protected species. «But one could catch the recreational hunters, send them to therapy, or relocate them to the moon from the Indemini-Süd spaceport,» says the lynx.
Problem recognised in Lucerne too
The lynxes also want to open dialogue with the canton, tourism organisations, and animal welfare groups. The aim is to protect chamois from winter sports enthusiasts and to establish additional wildlife rest zones. «East of the Reuss, this is already working very well,» says the lynx.
The problem is well known in the canton of Lucerne as well: the same causes are responsible for the decline of chamois populations there. While in the Pilatus area recreational activities are also contributing to falling chamois numbers, in the Entlebuch it is primarily the recreational hunters who are responsible for the decline. But even in the Pilatus area, lynxes would sense the nervousness of the wildlife when a trigger-happy recreational hunter moves through the territory.
According to Peter Küenzi, president of Revierjagd Luzern, there are currently an average of 1.8 lynxes per 100 square kilometres in the canton of Lucerne (though Lucerne covers only 29.06 km²). By comparison, there are 2,119 recreational hunters in the canton.
"This figure is too high — healthy regulation of recreational hunters and management as in other problem areas would be necessary here," says the lynx. "We are against the recreational hunters," the lynx emphasises, because we do the job better and more meaningfully. But: the relevant law of the canton has already been in force for around 20 years and no longer reflects today's conditions. "Wildlife has been waiting three years for a revision of this law — however, the update is being delayed due to a lack of resources within the canton," says the lynx.
Related dossiers and articles:
- Dossier: The Lynx in Switzerland
- Dossier: The Chamois in Switzerland
- Dossier: Hunting Myths
- Dossier: Hunting and Biodiversity
- Dossier: The Wildlife Warden Model
- Introduction to Hunting Criticism
- Get Involved
More on the subject of recreational hunting: The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
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.
