Animal cruelty: Swiss hunters do not hunt ethically

In Switzerland, so-called pass and trap hunting takes place in various cantons deep into winter (until the end of February). In these insidious forms of hunting, foxes, badgers, martens, etc. are lured, familiarized and deceived with food (cat and dog food, hunting waste, offal, etc.) even during the winter emergency period, only to be able to kill them senselessly and for pleasure. An unparalleled form of animal cruelty.

Wild animals often leave a clearly visible trail – the so-called pass. This is where the term pass hunting comes from, in which hobby hunters lie in wait for the animal on its wildlife path. Hobby hunters hide insidiously and cowardly to shoot various wild animals at feeding stations prepared by hobby hunters (bait sites) out of joy in torturing (when the predator comes).

They shoot from bedrooms, mountain huts, pass huts equipped with a camouflaged window. Regardless of whether it's the healthy father fox or even possibly the mother of the young lying in the den. Our foxes are hunted in many cantons continuously until March 1st, from June 15th.

With the beginning of the mating season from early December, pregnant vixens and regularly the fox fathers are very likely already on the hunting tally. These then later fail as the main providers for the young fox families. Particularly during night stalking, there is a great danger of confusing the vixen with a young fox and ultimately killing a parent animal that is absolutely necessary for raising the cubs. At the latest from the beginning of the foxes' denning season, this is a criminal offense. Anyone who still hunts foxes now does not hunt ethically. Even in hunting literature it is acknowledged that the male is necessary for raising the young. However, hunting legislation does not take into account the fact that fox parents are hunted and killed particularly intensively between mating and denning time (this is the time when the young are born), which constitutes animal cruelty.

Hobby hunters and hunting associations like to boast of hunting "ethically." Ethical hunting means not only being compliant with laws, but also always following the unwritten rules of hunting. In the Hunting Code on ethical hunting from 2014, the Swiss Hunting Association explains its philosophy of Swiss hunters for responsible and sustainable hunting. The following is stated there, for example:

• I avoid unnecessary disturbance of wildlife.
• I avoid unnecessary suffering of animals.
• Where refuges as retreat areas for wildlife are impaired, I advocate for wild animals.
• I take care of the environment and advocate for habitats to be protected and enhanced.
• etc.

For foxes, this hunting ethic does not seem to apply. Here recreational hunters, hunting associations and legislators even sanction the killing of parental animals necessary for raising young! 

We therefore call upon the responsible authorities to immediately ensure the protection of parental animals during mating season and the period of raising young through appropriate laws or closed seasons, explains Carl Sonnthal from IG Wild beim Wild.

Cantons such as Geneva, Neuchâtel, Vaud, Fribourg, Zug or Obwalden already do this partially to put an end to animal cruelty.

Facts instead of hunters' tall tales and animal cruelty

Scientific studies have shown that even when three-quarters of a population is shot, the same number of animals is present again the next year. And this is also the case with raccoons, for example. The more intensively foxes are hunted, the more offspring there are – any form of 'regulation' of fox populations is neither necessary nor is it even possible with hunting methods.

Accordingly, every fox hunt is a clear violation of the Animal Protection Act because it lacks reasonable justification. For more than 30 years, there have been at least 18 wildlife biology studies proving: Fox hunting does not regulate and is also unsuitable for disease control. On the contrary!

We commend Canton Geneva with professional wildlife management without recreational hunters, but with dedicated game wardens. In Geneva, foxes, martens or badgers are not regulated simply because hunting season is open and animal torturers want to pursue a hobby. This is also shown in the federal hunting statistics. Security, animal protection and ethics are the principles.

IG Wild beim Wild believes that these senseless massacres and animal cruelty in our entire habitat are not contemporary and demands a ban on all small game hunting!