Hobby hunting without a legitimate reason is unlawful
Animal welfare is a stated goal of the German state. Hobby hunting alone is not a legitimate reason for killing. An overview of the legal situation.
In Germany, animal welfare is enshrined as a state objective in the Basic Law. No one may cause an animal pain, suffering, or harm without a legitimate reason.
400,000 foxes and 2 million birds every year
Although there is no legitimate reason to kill foxes, hunt rare bird species, or even shoot domestic animals, this happens day after day. Every year, around 400,000 foxes, 2 million birds, and approximately 200,000 to 300,000 domestic cats are shot by recreational hunters.
For their owners, this is traumatic — children in particular suffer enormously from the loss of their “best friend.”
Shooting of domestic animals is disproportionate and unlawful
Lawyer Christina Patt of the German Legal Society for Animal Protection Law (DJGT), together with her co-author Ellen Apitz, concludes that the shooting of domestic animals is disproportionate and unlawful.
Both the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Biology and the veterinary medicine departments of the FU Berlin and LMU Munich were unable to provide a reliable answer to the question of whether dogs and cats actually pose any significant threat to wildlife.
According to § 17 No. 1 of the Animal Welfare Act, killing an animal requires a legitimate reason. However, this cannot be established with certainty. Furthermore, the shooting of domestic animals is wholly disproportionate: Killing a domestic animal constitutes a serious infringement of property rights.
As a conclusion, the authors call for an immediate amendment to hunting law. Where hobby hunting does not disruptively interfere with nature, greater biodiversity develops.
