World Day Against Hunting on 11 November: IG Wild beim Wild calls for action once again

This year too, the initiative IG Wild beim Wild calls for action on 11 November on the World Day Against Hunting event. This recurring day of action is aimed specifically at recreational hunting and provides annual visibility for a debate that is long overdue in Switzerland: who decides over life and death in the wild, and why should the killing of wild animals continue to be regarded as a leisure pastime? You can read the background to the day of action in the article «Why exactly a World Day against Hunting?».

A day that demands action

Recreational hunting is readily portrayed by its advocates as tradition, nature conservation or population control. The reality looks different. For years, animal welfare organisations have pointed out that countless animals suffer needlessly because of recreational hunting, not only those killed, but also wounded animals that do not die immediately.

In Switzerland, around 120,000 healthy roe deer, red deer, foxes, marmots and chamois are killed every year, mostly without any scientifically sound justification. At the same time, over a third of native plant, wild animal and fungus species are considered threatened. When it comes to designating protected areas for biodiversity, Switzerland ranks last in Europe.

Why 11 November of all days?

The date has been deliberately chosen. In the midst of the hunting season, the World Day sets a counterpoint to the routine of driven hunts, a moment of reflection instead of bloodshed. At a time when biodiversity loss and habitat destruction are reaching historic proportions, recreational hunting stands as a symbol of an outdated understanding of nature: nature as a resource to be controlled and directed, rather than respected in its autonomy.

What everyone can do

IG Wild beim Wild invites the public to send a visible signal on 11 November, with small gestures as well as with publicly visible actions:

• Inform and share: spread posts on social media with hashtags such as #WelttagGegenDieJagd, #StopHobbyJagd or #WildlifeNotTrophy.
• Show a public presence: a walk in the forest, a photo of a wild animal in its natural habitat or a silent vigil make the message visible.
• Get active locally: support local actions, visit nature reserves and protect habitats, without relying on recreational hunting as a supposed «regulation».
• Have a political impact: ask municipal administrations and environmental offices for transparency in the awarding of hunting rights and in wildlife management.
• Rethink for the long term:Rethink consumer habits and promote educational programmes on wildlife protection without hunting.

An appeal

It is not enough to talk about conservation. Every conscious decision, every conversation, every gesture counts. World Day Against Hunting offers the chance to raise uncomfortable questions loudly and publicly, for a wilderness in which the lives of animals are not threatened by bullets.

From day of action to political initiative

Anyone wishing to make an impact beyond 11 November can carry the visibility of the day of action directly into the cantonal parliaments. To this end, IG Wild beim Wild provides more than 80 ready-formulated «Template texts for hunting-critical initiatives in cantonal parliaments» free of charge, from motions and postulates to cantonal popular initiatives. The scientific background, sources and lines of argument can be found in the dossiers on wildbeimwild.com. Every text can be adopted, adapted to the canton and submitted. In this way a symbolic day becomes a concrete political lever against recreational hunting.