Template text: Protection of young animals and parent animals
Young animals and parent animals should be consistently protected during sensitive phases, including from recreational hunting.
1. Motion
The cantonal government is instructed to present to the Grand Council a revision of the hunting ordinance (………) that strengthens the protection of young animals and parent animals during sensitive periods in canton (………). The revision must particularly ensure that:
- binding protection periods are established for all huntable species that cover the entire phase of reproduction, breeding and rearing of young animals.
- recreational hunting of parent animals is prohibited during these sensitive periods.
- hunting-free quiet zones are established in areas with known breeding or rearing of wild animals, designated in hunting law and integrated into hunting planning.
- wildlife biological and animal welfare legal findings are systematically considered when establishing hunting seasons, and regulations are regularly reviewed and adapted as needed.
The cantonal government considers the necessary transitional provisions in its proposal, particularly regarding existing hunting plans and ongoing hunting arrangements.
2. Brief justification
The protection of young animals and their parents is a central concern of animal welfare. Hunting interventions during reproduction and rearing periods lead to orphaned young animals, avoidable suffering and additional destabilization of wildlife populations. When parent animals are shot during sensitive phases, young animals lose guidance and care, which often means a slow death.
While current hunting law recognizes protection periods and various protected areas, in many cantons these regulations have grown historically, are shaped by hunting interests and are not consistently aligned with species biology. Modern wildlife biological and animal welfare legal findings require that the entire reproduction and rearing phase be covered and that parent animals not be available as recreational hunting objects during this time.
Those who want to protect young animals must not release their parents for shooting during breeding and rearing periods.
The Federal Hunting Act establishes the framework for protection and utilization of wild mammals and birds. However, the cantons have considerable scope for designing hunting systems, hunting planning, and additional protective provisions. Within this scope, the canton (………) can introduce consistent closed seasons, hunting-free quiet zones in breeding and rearing areas, as well as an explicit ban on recreational hunting of parent animals during sensitive phases.
According to federal law, no canton in Switzerland is required to provide for hobby hunting. It is the right of the cantons to decide whether hunting is permitted or not. If a canton decides against hunting or even only partially against hunting, it can do so freely according to the Federal Constitution. The canton of Geneva has long chosen this exemplary path.
With this motion, the cantonal government is tasked with creating a clear legal foundation that effectively protects young animals and parent animals, reduces avoidable animal suffering situations, and adapts hunting practices to modern requirements of animal protection and wildlife biology.