Appenzell Ausserrhoden: Stop the fox and badger massacre

On Saturday, November 23, 2019, the high hunting season for red deer and chamois as well as the low hunting season for roe deer was concluded in Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

The roe deer hunt lasted from September 2 to November 2. The hobby hunters failed to reach their intended cull target. To protect the reforestation efforts established to remedy forest damage caused by Storm Vaja in the Stein and Hundwil areas, the wildlife management authorities will therefore kill additional individual roe deer in the damaged areas. A total of 444 roe deer have been killed so far.

During the red deer hunt, which was conducted in two hunting periods from September 2-23 and November 6-11, 2019, 58 animals were slaughtered. This represents the highest red deer kill count in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden since hunting statistics began in 1933. Additionally, 11 chamois were killed throughout the canton during the high hunting season, according to the Office for Spatial Planning and Forests.

The hunting season remains open for badgers (until January 15, 2020), wild boar (until January 31, 2020), as well as the corridor hunt for stone martens and carrion crows (until February 15, 2020) and foxes (until February 29, 2020).

Facts instead of hunters' tales

In Switzerland, so-called pass hunting takes place in various cantons deep into winter (until the end of February). During these insidious forms of hunting, foxes, badgers, martens, etc. are lured, habituated and deceived with food (cat and dog food, hunting waste, offal, etc.) even during the winter emergency period, only to be killed senselessly and for sport.

Wild animals often leave a clearly visible path called a pass. This is where the term pass hunting originates, where hunters ambush the animal on its wildlife trail. Hobby hunters hide to shoot various wild animals at feeding sites (bait sites) prepared by hobby hunters (when the predator arrives).

Shots are fired from bedrooms, alpine huts, pass shelters equipped with camouflaged viewing windows. Regardless of whether it's a healthy father fox or even possibly an expectant mother.

The hunters' motto Only a dead fox is a good fox is contemptuous of animals. Foxes are not aggressive and do not attack humans. Foxes are beautiful animals. This really cannot be called hunting. The hunters once again profile themselves as nature destroyers and animal torturers. This produces wildlife damage, violates animal protection laws, and all of this is paid for by taxpayers.

Thus, Appenzell Ausserrhoden hunting makes no contribution to achieving a natural balance between wildlife, forest and countryside.

There is no legal shooting plan and population assessment for foxes. Fox hunting resembles short-circuit ecology for inadequately trained hunters.

For IG Wild beim Wild, it is not productive to give cantons more powers in the hunting law – on the contrary. They cannot handle the responsibility, are overwhelmed, are inadequately trained as hobby hunters and decision-makers, and they lie. Moreover, they already have enough carte blanche. Current examples include the head of the hunting and fishing office in Canton Zurich who recently introduced night hunting of foxes, claiming that foxes transmit rabies. As we know today, only animal-friendly bait vaccines could defeat terrestrial rabies – it has been considered eradicated in Switzerland since 1998 and in large parts of Europe!

Violence begins in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, where knowledge ends

Fundamentally, lightly hunted fox populations also produce fewer offspring. Humans always create conflicts with wild animals that share the same habitat. Humans cause extremely more damage, particularly in wildlife habitats.

More hunting does not mean less wildlife, but more births. As a recreational activity, Swiss hunters kill about 20,000 foxes every year – a ban on fox hunting, as Canton Geneva also has, is long overdue in Switzerland.

To justify the merciless persecution of one of our most interesting predators, it is simply claimed that fox or badger hunting during low hunting season is necessary because their populations would otherwise get out of hand – a long-outdated view!

Time and again, claims are made from the hobby hunter milieu that, upon careful analysis, have their origin in hunting literature and such unscientific sources. This is mainly due to the often inadequate training in hunter examination courses, which are predominantly conducted by sometimes fanatics with sect-like thinking and require no regular proof of qualification. After training, the hobby hunter moves only within the echo chamber of the hunting press, which constantly repeats its skewed and often false representations.

In hunting clubs, members then mutually confirm their worldview. In this way, an insular and militant group (8) has emerged that is hardly accessible to scientific information. The fatal aspect is that local press and politics still believe that expertise awaits under the hunter's hat and gladly consult the local hobby hunter on all nature topics. This is how hobby hunters also contaminate public discourse.

We commend the Canton of Geneva with its professional wildlife management without hobby hunters, but with professional game wardens. Lake Geneva has vineyards and other crops, just like in the rest of Switzerland. Apparently, they have more humane and ethical approaches in dealing with wildlife and intelligent measures to protect crops. In Geneva, no foxes, martens or badgers are regulated simply because hunting season is open. This is also evident in the federal hunting statistics (2). Instead, practical deterrent measures (12) and sensible education and assistance as well as training for the population with game wardens take place. Safety, animal welfare and ethics are the guiding principles.

According to the Animal Welfare Act (Art. 26 TSchG), there must be a "reasonable cause" for killing an animal – however, hunting foxes and badgers is usually merely the satisfaction of a bloody hobby. For these wild animals, there is no legal shooting plan. The animals serve hobby hunters as living targets, as there is no reason from either a wildlife biology or health perspective for the mass hunting of healthy predators.

Therefore, every fox or badger hunt is a clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, because it lacks reasonable cause. Fox and badger hunting is thus primarily organized animal cruelty.

Wild animals also have feelings and emotions. They can suffer, mourn and experience joy. Like us humans, they live in family units and social structures, which hobby hunters usually terrorize and desecrate for fun.

For a full 5 1/2 months, foxes are pursued in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden – for badgers it is 6 months, according to federal hunting statistics. With this stress, one need not wonder why these animals become sick. Throughout Europe, the epicenter of fox tapeworm reports lies in Switzerland, precisely in that area of Switzerland where hunting-oriented hobby hunters, like Urs Philipp, have entrenched themselves in cantonal authorities. These senseless disturbances and noise emissions caused by hobby hunters' night hunting in wildlife habitat always also disturb entire wildlife populations and residents.

Master Grimbart – as the badger is called in fables – is not frequently observed: The largest member of the marten family is shy and only active at night. Badgers spend the day mainly in their sett, which usually lies at the settlement edge and is often used for generations. Badgers are also harmless to humans and pose no danger to agriculture, forestry, or wild and domestic animals. Badgers do not attack cats and are mainly active at night. When they must defend themselves against dogs, the dog usually loses. In winter or at low temperatures, badgers spend most of their time sleeping – they maintain a winter rest.

Science versus hunters' tales

For more than 30 years, there have been at least 18 wildlife biology studies proving: Fox hunting does not regulate and is also useless for disease control. On the contrary!

Scientific studies have revealed that even when three-quarters of a population is shot, the same number of foxes are present again the following year. The more intensively they are hunted, the more offspring there are – any form of "regulation" of these populations is neither necessary nor even possible through hunting methods.

Fox populations are regulated through a complex social system. Foxes live in family groups in which only the highest-ranking vixen produces offspring (like the leading sow among wild boar). Birth control instead of mass misery, commented biologist Erik Zimen on this phenomenon. However, when humans intervene in fox populations with traps and guns, these family communities are destroyed. As a consequence, almost all vixens become ready to mate, and the number of cubs per litter increases dramatically.

«Even without hunting, there wouldn't suddenly be too many foxes, hares or birds. Experience shows that nature can be left to itself. From a purely pragmatic perspective, small game hunting is not necessary.»
Heinrich Haller, Former National Park Director Graubünden and Wildlife Biologist

Many case studies such as national parks, Luxembourg or for example Canton Geneva have demonstrated that there are no sound arguments for these massacres. Freed habitat is immediately reoccupied by these animals. It is scientifically well-documented that fox populations develop largely independently of hunting influence attempts, because hunting conversely causes reproduction rates to skyrocket.

These hunts repeatedly result in fatal misidentifications, with hobby hunters killing protected species such as golden jackals or wolves.

Can enlightened taxpayers and responsible citizens in Appenzell Ausserrhoden still reconcile with their conscience supporting such officials in the canton who don't care one bit about ethics, science or animal welfare and who lie to the population and put them in danger?

End the animal cruelty and waste of taxpayer money in Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden.

Fox hunting is ecologically, economically and epidemiologically senseless – indeed even counterproductive! – and must therefore be banned in the interests of humans, nature and wildlife as well as from the perspective of ethics, morality and animal welfare. Blind activism and violence help no one.

Food consumption by wildlife in shared habitat is not damage, but a natural process for the survival of these beings. Tolerance and fairness are called for here. We humans obstruct and destroy wildlife habitat on all levels many times over. Wildlife has just as much right to exist as humans. These disrespectful killing campaigns are completely disproportionate to a healthy and heart-forming sense of justice. Against hail and bird feeding damage, one also protects oneself with nets or deterrents.

With this direct submission of the petition to an official authority in Appenzell Ausserrhoden we demand that the killing of these wonderful creatures be prohibited as quickly as possible and published in the official gazette.

You can send your personal protest emails directly to the members of the Government Council and Cantonal Council.

Express your opinion by telephone to the decision-makers in Appenzell Ausserrhoden:

Cantonal Chancellery Herisau, +41 71 353 61 11
Heinz Nigg, Department Head, Hunting Administrator +41 71 353 67 70
Beat Fritsche, Forest Engineer +41 71 353 67 73
Oliver Gerlach, Forest Engineer +41 71 353 67 72
Andres Scholl, Nature Department +41 71 353 67 94
Roland Guntli, Game Warden +41 79 698 19 16
Jens Weber, SP President + 41 79 960 35 65

In addition, we demand from Appenzell Ausserrhoden:

The acknowledgment of scientific studies and expert opinions (not from the hobby hunter milieu) that question or refute the necessity of hunting.
No dissemination of sectarian or refuted hunter lies, such as the alleged necessity of regulating fox populations, as well as fearmongering about rabies, fox tapeworm and mange, or that foxes are to blame for the decline of small game, etc.
The killing of animals as part of a recreational activity has no place in the 21st century and should also be criminally prosecuted.

Justification:

In the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, during the 2018 hunting season, mostly healthy 465 foxes and 114 badgers were killed by militant hobby hunters without scientific basis or wildlife biology expertise.

The alleged endangerment of meadow birds, i.e., ground-nesting birds, can be relegated to the realm of hunter fairy tales, as there are research studies that classify the influence on bird populations as insignificant (3). This becomes all the more comprehensible when one considers the main diet of foxes: mice and earthworms. Foxes are distinctly beneficial to agriculture. And that foxes are distinctly beneficial to forestry and protect humans from diseases through their diligent consumption of mice (which are considered the main carriers of Lyme borreliosis, for example) is known to only few people.

The false arguments of alleged control of rabies, fox tapeworm or mange through relentless hunting are scientifically refuted. Mange is much rarer than assumed and foxes with good constitution can recover from mange. These fox populations are then resistant to new infections. Furthermore, mange in foxes poses no danger to humans or domestic animals.

Fox tapeworm

Fewer foxes, less fox tapeworm, thus also less infection risk for humans. At first glance a plausible conclusion, but upon careful analysis merely hunter's lore, as several international studies (6) demonstrate.

Throughout Europe, the epicenter of fox tapeworm reports lies in Switzerland, precisely in that region of Switzerland where hunting-oriented hobby hunters have entrenched themselves within cantonal authorities. These senseless disruptions and noise emissions during hobby hunter hunts in wildlife habitat always disturb entire wildlife populations and residents as well.

There are far more zoonoses among domestic and farm animals. Typically, only hobby hunters become infected with a zoonosis like fox tapeworm. About 20 – 30 people become infected with this liver disease (Echinococcus multilocularis) in Switzerland per year. This is no more than in the past, when fewer foxes were found in cities. The immune system of most people is strong enough to ward off an infection. Typically, fox tapeworm larvae develop in the liver of mice and some rats. When a fox eats the infected mouse, a tapeworm develops in its intestine again. Cats and dogs that eat mice can also spread the parasite in this way, but do not become ill themselves. The fact that the incidence of disease in Switzerland is very low, that direct transmission from fox to dogs is not possible, and that neutered animals do not get fox tapeworm can be seen as somewhat reassuring.

Urban foxes typically have an infection rate below 20%, as their diet consists mainly of food scraps. Rural foxes, however, have a higher infection rate because they feed extensively on field mice.

The infection risk for ordinary forest visitors is minimal. Contrary to many rumors, no fox tapeworm patient is known to have contracted the infection through forest berries. Berries hanging high on bushes are ruled out as an infection pathway. It is difficult to imagine how fox feces could reach berries hanging high up.

"We have observed that fox mothers give birth to more young where the animals are hunted. While shooting can create localized relief, the vacant territories are soon reoccupied. Nature regulates this itself."
Wildlife Warden Fabian Kern

Shooting foxes can even have the effect that the freed habitat is newly inhabited by foxes with a much higher proportion of fox tapeworm carriers.

Fox Mange

Not every scruffy-looking fox has mange, and dogs are not highly susceptible to infection. The parasitic mange mite can certainly infest dogs or humans – but this infestation is very treatable in both cases. The locally apparent increased occurrence of said mites is not the result of excessive population density in foxes. Therefore, increased hunting would not prevent the spread of mange. What is scientifically proven is that hunting is counterproductive for containing wildlife diseases, particularly in foxes. In general, it is shown that in intensively hunted areas, the fox population does not decline, but actually increases through increased reproduction and immigration of animals.

Intensive hunting is considered the main reason for the spread of fox mange. Hunting leads to an artificially rejuvenated and growing population with weak immune systems, resulting in an increase of migrating young foxes in autumn that spread pathogens they carry.

"Unfortunately, we cannot provide health data for the killed foxes, as this is not recorded in the shooting control. This applies to both hunting and special shoots, which take place from June 15 to August 31. There is also mange among the carrion, but we cannot quantify the number from the 23% due to age, illness or weakness. Basically, we can assume that in the last 20 years between 5-10% of foxes were infected with mange. Distemper is very rare."
Rolf Schneeberger, LANAT Office for Agriculture and Nature

Even in the past, mange and distemper flared up locally from time to time and then died out again on their own. Especially where mange has spread particularly strongly, the foxes seem to develop increasing resistance to new infections. However, since hunting negates the actual survival advantage for mange-resistant foxes (a hobby hunter cannot see a fox's mange resistance after all), killing foxes is likely counterproductive in this respect as well. Incidentally, it has been found that wild animals have already formed antibodies against distemper and the danger is therefore marginal.

Foxes Protect Us

A new study (7) suggests that the extinction of mouse-hunting predators, particularly the fox, is the cause of the increasing number of tick-transmitted diseases in humans.

Foxes also have a positive influence in protecting humans and animals from hantavirus, botulism or leptospirosis (11), for example.

"If not so many foxes were killed, farmers would not have to spread so much poison in the fields against mouse plagues – which in turn burdens the entire ecosystem."
IG Wild beim Wild

Foresters must combat mice that damage seedlings and trees using chemicals, mechanics and traps, while hobby hunters hunt foxes that would actually keep the mice under control. Millions of francs in damage and additional effort for forest management due to hunting are the consequences. Farmers and fruit growers must hire mouse hunters because the fox and other predators are missing.

Barbaric folklore or normal hunting method?

Fox hunting employs practices (9) that animal welfare law actually prohibits. The cruelty is particularly extreme in den hunting and the training of hunting dogs on live foxes.

At least among the Swiss population, den hunting enjoys hardly any acceptance; this is shown by a representative survey in September 2017 among 1015 people, conducted by the market research company Demoscope on behalf of Swiss Animal Protection (STS). 64 percent support a ban, only 21 percent want to maintain den hunting. The rejection is somewhat more pronounced among women and 15- to 34-year-olds. A cultural divide does not exist.

The fox is a very illustrative (and sad) example of how hobby hunters, with their ignorance and compulsive need for control over nature, create problems themselves and worsen natural regulatory mechanisms. If one examines foxes without prejudice, one quickly recognizes that they are fascinating animals with impressive abilities. They are very caring parents and possess extraordinary abilities, such as incorporating the Earth's magnetic field in foraging. Moreover, as mouse hunters they are very important for both agriculture and forestry and have a significant role in containing "rodent-transmitted pathogens" such as hantaviruses or Borrelia. For these reasons, we should see the fox as what it is – namely an important component of the ecosystem and an enrichment of native fauna.

Actually, all small game hunting should be banned. Those who kill senselessly do not protect, and it benefits nothing for civilized society. Hobby hunters therefore also do not ensure healthy or natural wildlife populations.

Particularly with hobby hunters, it is extremely essential that one looks very closely. Nowhere is there so much manipulation with untruths, hunters' tales and fake news. Violence and lies belong to the same coin!

Sources:

Further articles

Fred Kurt: The Roe Deer in the Cultural Landscape. Ecology, Social Behavior, Hunting and Management. Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, p. 83.
Federal Hunting Statistics Link
Explanations and Source References Link
Scientific Literature: Red Fox Studies
Hunters spread diseases: Study
Hunting promotes diseases: Study
Hobby hunters in criminality: The List
Ban on senseless fox hunting is overdue: Article
Luxembourg extends fox hunting ban: Article
Small game hunting and wildlife diseases: Article
Deterrence of wild animals: Article

Online Petitions

Further Information

Interest Group Wild beim Wild

The IG Wild beim Wild is a nonprofit advocacy group committed to the sustainable and non-violent improvement of human-animal relationships, with the IG also specializing in the legal aspects of wildlife protection. One of our main concerns is to introduce contemporary and serious wildlife management in cultural landscapes following the model of the Canton of Geneva – without hobby hunters but with integral wildlife wardens who truly deserve the name and act according to a code of honor. The monopoly on violence belongs in the hands of the state. The IG supports scientific methods of immunocontraception for wildlife.