Bern: Stop the fox and badger massacre

To justify the ruthless persecution of one of our most interesting predators in the canton of Bern, it is simply claimed that hunting foxes or badgers is necessary because their populations would otherwise get out of hand – an outdated view!

Fundamentally, fox populations that are hunted less also produce fewer offspring. Humans always create conflicts with wildlife that share the same habitat. Humans cause, particularly in wildlife habitats, far more damage than the few grapes a badger can enjoy.

In Switzerland, the cantons of Bern, Aargau, Graubünden, St.Gallen, Valais, Lucerne and Zurich stand out negatively with disproportionate hunting of foxes and badgers.

In the canton of Bern, about one-fifth of all red foxes in Switzerland are shot, although experts see no sense in it.

«From a wildlife biology perspective, fox hunting is not sensible, populations cannot be regulated this way.»
Peter Juesy, former hunting inspector of the canton of Bern.

It is known, according to the Swiss Rabies Centre, that the activities of hobby hunters have only spread the disease further, and it is no different with fox mange etc.

Given the stress and pathological hunting pressure from hobby hunters in the sometimes densely populated habitat,one should not be surprised when wildlife becomes ill.

800 hunters from Bern canton who are specifically engaged in game management receive annual special permits. The animal species released during this period from June 16 to August 31, such as carrion crows, rooks, Eurasian jays, magpies, feral domestic cats, raccoons, raccoon dogs, foxes and badgers are simply shot down, even though they have a closed season until August 31. Although these wild animals should be protected at the cantonal level, in 2018, for example, 300 foxes and 371 badgers were slaughtered with these special permits. Even Eurasian jays are not spared from the shooting frenzy. Recreational hunters once again disturb the entire habitat with their senseless gunfire and presence. Canton Zurich or Aargau do not have such special culls on this scale.

It is precisely this mentality of senseless exploitation driven by greed or misguided nature experience that leads to Switzerland having the longest red list of threatened species in all of Europe. Senseless killing takes place at national, regional and local levels. It is obvious that biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems in Switzerland are not adequately protected by recreational hunters. Paradoxically, it is always these same circles of recreational hunters and livestock farmer representatives with their lobbying who have been responsible for decades through politics, media and legislation. They are the ones who notoriously block contemporary, ethical animal welfare improvements and sabotage serious animal and species protection.

For IG Wild beim Wild, it is counterproductive to give cantons more powers in the hunting law, as the revision provides and which will be voted on May 17, 2020 – quite the contrary. The department heads cannot handle the responsibility, are overwhelmed, inadequately trained as recreational hunters and decision-makers, and lie. Furthermore, they have enough leeway, as is beautifully documented by fox or badger hunting.

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

Violence begins in Bern, where knowledge ends

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

In hunting clubs, they then mutually confirm each other in their worldview. In this way, an isolated and militant group has emerged that is hardly accessible to scientific information. The fatal thing is that local press and politics still believe that expertise is available under the hunter's hat and like to consult the local recreational hunter on all nature topics. This is how recreational hunters also contaminate public discourse.

We praise the canton of Geneva with its professional wildlife management without hobby hunters, but with dedicated wildlife wardens. Lake Geneva has vineyards and other crops, as does the rest of Switzerland. Apparently, they have humane and ethical approaches to dealing with wildlife there, along with intelligent measures to protect crops. In Geneva, no foxes, martens or badgers are regulated simply because hunting season is on. This is also reflected in the federal hunting statistics (2). Instead, practical deterrent measures (12) and sensible education and assistance as well as training for the population with wildlife 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 ground" for killing an animal – however, hunting foxes and badgers is usually merely satisfying a bloody hobby. There is no legal culling plan for these wild animals. 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 in Bern is a clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act because it lacks reasonable grounds. Fox and badger hunting in canton Bern is thus primarily organized animal cruelty.

Wild animals also have feelings and emotions. They can suffer, grieve and feel joy. They live like us humans in family units and social structures, which hobby hunters usually terrorize and violate for fun.

Foxes are stalked in canton Bern for at least 6 months – for badgers it is 4 months, according to the 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 the area of Switzerland where hunting-oriented hobby hunters have embedded themselves in cantonal authorities. These counterproductive disturbances and noise emissions always also disturb entire wildlife populations and residents.

Master Grimbart – as the badger is called in fables – is not frequently observed: The largest animal in the marten family is shy and only active at night. Badgers spend the day mainly in badger setts, which are usually located at settlement edges and are 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. If they must defend themselves against dogs, the dog usually loses. During winter or at low temperatures, badgers spend most of their time sleeping – they hibernate.

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 investigations (5) have shown that even when three-quarters of a population is shot, the same number of foxes are there again the next year. The more heavily they are hunted, the more offspring there are – any kind of "regulation" of these populations is neither necessary nor possible with 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 lead sow among wild boar). Birth control instead of mass misery, biologist Erik Zimen commented on this phenomenon. However, when humans intervene in the fox population with traps and rifles, these family communities (3) are destroyed. As a result, nearly all vixens become ready to mate, and the number of cubs per litter increases dramatically.

«Even without hunting, there would not 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

Studies in various countries and at different times have also documented the influence of the red fox not only on the roe deer population: For the Bernese Midlands, it is estimated that one fox can prey on an average of eleven fawns during the months from May to July. This also reduces wildlife browsing damage (1).

Many case studies such as national parks, Luxembourg (10) or for example the Canton of Geneva have shown that there are no valid arguments for these massacres. Freed habitat is immediately reoccupied by these animals. It is well documented scientifically that fox populations develop largely independently of hunting intervention attempts, because hunting actually causes reproduction rates to skyrocket.

In Switzerland, however, hobby hunters shoot around 20,000 healthy foxes every year for the garbage bin or incineration (2). Exactly the number needed so that the risk group of hobby hunters can later spread their sectarian hunting jargon as indispensable regulators. The senseless pile of carcasses at taxpayers' expense must be ended. Recreational hunters cause more problems than they allegedly solve. This absurd behavior does nothing to help the forests either.

These hunts also repeatedly result in fatal misidentifications, with hobby hunters shooting protected species such as golden jackals or wolves (8).

Can the enlightened female taxpayer and the responsible male taxpayer in Bern still reconcile it with their conscience to support such officials in the canton who do not care one bit about ethics, science or animal welfare and who lie to and endanger the population?

End the animal cruelty and waste of tax money in the Canton of Bern.

Food consumption by wildlife in shared habitat is not damage, but a natural process for the survival of these creatures. Tolerance and fairness are required here. We humans build on and destroy wildlife habitat on all levels many times over. Wildlife has just as much right to exist as humans. These disrespectful killing campaigns and bounty rewards are completely disproportionate to a healthy and heart-forming sense of justice. Against hail and bird damage, for example, one also protects oneself with nets or deterrents (12).

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

With this direct submission of the petition to decision-makers, we demand that the killing of these wonderful creatures be prohibited as quickly as possible and published in the official gazette.

Send petition and/or comment independently by email to the following offices:

Hunting Inspectorate: info.ji@be.ch
Green Party Bern: sekretariat@gruenebern.ch
SP Bern: sekretariat@spbe.ch
Green Liberals Bern: be@grunliberale.ch
Animal Welfare Bern: info@bernertierschutz.ch
Government Councilor Christoph Ammann: info.weu@be.ch

Voice your opinion to decision-makers in Bern by phone:

LANAT Office for Agriculture and Nature +41 31 636 14 30
Government Councilor Christoph Ammann +41 31 633 48 44
Green Party Bern + 41 031 311 87 01
SP Bern + 41 031 370 07 80
Green Liberals Bern + 41 079 441 71 51
Animal Protection Bern + 41 031 926 64 64

In addition, we demand for foxes and badgers:

Recognition of scientific studies and expert opinions (not from the recreational hunting milieu) that question or refute the necessity of hunting.
No dissemination of sectarian or debunked hunters' lies, such as the alleged necessity of regulating fox populations, as well as fear-mongering about rabies, fox tapeworm and mange, or that foxes are responsible for the decline of small game, etc.
Killing animals as part of a recreational activity has no place in the 21st century and should also be prosecuted under criminal law.

Justification:

In Canton Bern during the 2018 hunting season, mostly healthy 3,942 foxes and 159 badgers were killed on a non-scientific basis or without wildlife biological expertise by militant recreational hunters. Carrion for red foxes is reported as 2,437 in the federal hunting statistics.

The alleged threat to meadow birds, i.e. ground-nesting birds, can be relegated to the realm of hunters' fairy tales, as there are research studies that classify the influence on bird populations as insignificant (3). This is all the more understandable when one considers the main food of foxes: mice and earthworms. Foxes are pronounced beneficial animals for agriculture. And that foxes are pronounced forest beneficial animals and also protect humans from diseases through their eager consumption of mice (which are considered the main carriers of Lyme disease, for example) is known to only a few people.

The false arguments of the alleged control of rabies, fox tapeworm or mange through merciless 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 pets.

Fox tapeworm

Fewer foxes, less fox tapeworm, thus also less infection risk for humans. At first glance a plausible conclusion, but upon closer analysis just hunters' tales, as several international studies (6) prove.

Throughout Europe, the epicenter of fox tapeworm reports lies in Switzerland, precisely in that area of Switzerland where hunting-affiliated recreational hunters have entrenched themselves with cantonal authorities. These absurd disruptions and noise emissions from recreational hunters' hunting activities in wildlife habitats always disturb entire wildlife populations and residents.

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

Urban foxes typically have an infestation rate below 20%, as their diet consists mainly of food waste. Rural foxes, on the other hand, have a higher infestation rate because they feed abundantly on field mice.

The infection risk for normal forest visitors is minimal. Contrary to many rumors, no fox tapeworm patient is known to have been infected through forest berries. Berries hanging high on bushes are ruled out as a transmission route. It is hard 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 one can create temporary relief through culling, the vacant territories are quickly reoccupied. Nature regulates this itself.»
Game warden Fabian Kern

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

Fox mange

Not every scruffy-looking fox has mange, and dogs are also not highly susceptible to infection. The parasitic mange mite can indeed 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 among foxes. Therefore, increased hunting will not prevent the spread of mange. Scientific evidence shows rather that precisely in foxes, hunting is counterproductive for containing wildlife diseases. Generally, it is evident that in intensively hunted areas, the fox population does not decline but actually increases through enhanced reproduction and immigration of animals.

The main reasons for the spread of fox mange are considered to be intensive hunting. Hunting leads to an artificially rejuvenated and increasing population with weakened immune systems, resulting in an autumn increase of migrating young foxes that spread pathogens they carry.

«Unfortunately, we cannot provide health data on the culled foxes, as this is not recorded in the shooting records. This applies to both hunting and special culls carried out from June 15 to August 31. Roadkill also includes mange cases, but we cannot quantify the number from the 23% due to age, disease, 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 extinguished naturally again. Especially where mange has spread particularly strongly, foxes seem to develop increasing resistance against new infections. However, since hunting nullifies the natural survival advantage for mange-resistant foxes (a recreational hunter cannot see a fox's mange resistance after all), killing foxes is likely counterproductive in this regard as well. Incidentally, it has been found with distemper that wild animals have already formed antibodies and the danger is thus marginal.

Foxes protect us

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

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

«If not so many foxes were killed, farmers wouldn't have to apply so much poison on their fields against mouse plagues – which in turn burdens the entire ecosystem.»
IG Wild beim Wild

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

Barbaric folklore or normal hunting method?

In the context of fox hunting, practices (9) are employed that are actually prohibited by animal welfare laws. The den hunting and training of hunting dogs on live foxes is particularly cruel.

At least among the Swiss population, den hunting enjoys little acceptance; this is shown by a representative survey in September 2017 among 1,015 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 those aged 15 to 34. A Röstigraben does not exist.

The fox is a very illustrative (and sad) example of how hobby hunters, with their ignorance and compulsive need to control 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 play a significant role in containing «rodent-transmitted pathogens» such as hantaviruses or Borrelia. For these reasons, we should see the fox for what it is – namely, as 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 serves no purpose for civilized society. Hobby hunters thus also do not ensure healthy or natural wildlife populations.

Sources:

Further articles

Fred Kurt: The Roe Deer in 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 wildlife: Article

Online petitions

Further information

Interest Group Wild beim Wild

The IG Wild beim Wild is a non-profit interest group committed to the sustainable and non-violent improvement of human-animal relationships, with the organization also specializing in the legal aspects of wildlife protection. One of our main concerns is to introduce contemporary and serious wildlife management in the cultural landscape following the model of the Canton of Geneva – without hobby hunters but with wildlife wardens of integrity who truly deserve the title 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.