Solothurn: Stop the Fox and Badger Massacre

In an article published in the Solothurner Zeitung on 12.11.2019, State Councillor Brigit Wyss, head of the Department of Economic Affairs and thus the canton of Solothurn’s top hunting official (Greens), distorts the facts with pseudo-scientific reasoning. The IG Wild beim Wild criticizes the substance of her statements.

State Councillor Brigit Wyss:

«She said she was eagerly awaiting the outcome of the debate on the revision of the Federal Hunting Act in the federal chambers. The Sword of Damocles of a referendum unfortunately existed and could jeopardise the entry into force of the federal hunting law, which was highly advanced and modern in many respects, particularly in the area of species and habitat protection».

Brigit Wyss (Greens), Solothurner Zeitung, 12.11.2019

• Brigit Wyss is evidently campaigning against her own party. The president of the Greens, Regula Rytz, says: «The hunting law serves to protect endangered species. Parliament is opening up this protection to be shot. The GREENS, together with environmental organisations, are fighting back against this.»

State Councillor Brigit Wyss from Solothurn:

«It is the responsibly practised and nature-oriented pursuit of hunting that is used today as an argument in favor of hunting. «In the true spirit of patron saint Hubertus, we practise hunting with consideration, respect and dignity towards living creatures, and with due regard for ecological and socio-economic contexts».

Brigit Wyss (Greens), Solothurner Zeitung, 12.11.2019

• Holding a church service that gives hunters the symbolic blessing for the systematic killing of defenceless fellow creatures sends entirely the wrong message. Churches must stand for the preservation of creation, not its destruction. Hubertus Masses and Brigit Wyss also fail to recognize that Saint Hubertus himself went from being a hunter to a convinced opponent of hunting.

Further reading: Killing, tormenting and mutilating with the blessing of the Church

State Councillor Brigit Wyss from Solothurn on earth hunting:

«It can be assumed that den hunting is justifiable today. Not for reasons of tradition or because of fox population regulation. But because many hunting dogs are today family dogs – and therefore require training in the context of den hunting».

Brigit Wyss (Greens), Solothurner Zeitung, 4 July 2018

• According to the Animal Welfare Act (Art. 26 TSchG), a "reasonable justification" must exist for killing an animal – yet hunting foxes amounts to nothing more than satisfying a bloody hobby. There is no legally mandated cull plan for foxes. The animals serve as living targets for hobby hunters, as there is neither a wildlife-biological nor a public health reason for the mass hunting of these predators.

Cantonal Councillor Brigit Wyss from Solothurn:

«Every year, hunters reflect on their responsible craft in remembrance of the legend of Saint Hubertus and its symbolic meaning. The act of hunting is, for all involved, a deep experience of nature and a mindful engagement with the living creatures of the forest and the heath.» 

Brigit Wyss (Greens), Solothurner Zeitung, 12 November 2019

In Solothurn, violence begins where knowledge ends

As a general rule, fox populations that are subject to less hunting also produce fewer offspring. Human activity invariably creates conflicts with wildlife sharing the same habitat. Human beings cause vastly more damage in wildlife habitats than the few grape clusters a badger might enjoy at its leisure.

To justify the relentless persecution of one of our most fascinating predators, it is simply claimed that hunting foxes or badgers during the small game season is necessary to prevent their populations from getting out of hand – a view that has long been superseded!

Time and again, claims emerge from the hobby hunter community that, upon closer examination, trace back to hunting literature and similarly unscientific sources. This is due primarily to the frequently inadequate training provided in hunter licensing courses, which are largely run by individuals – some of them fanatics – with a sect-like ideology, and who require no formal qualification to do so. Once their training is complete, hobby hunters move exclusively within the echo chamber of the hunting press, which endlessly repeats its distorted and often outright false representations.

In hunting clubs, members reinforce each other's views. This has given rise to an insular and militant group that is largely unreceptive to new information.What makes this particularly damaging is that the local press and politicians still believe that expertise lies beneath the hunter's hat, and they happily consult the local hobby hunter on all matters relating to nature. In this way, hobby hunters end up contaminating the public discourse as well.

All the more reason to commend the canton of Geneva, with its professional wildlife management free of hobby hunters but staffed by people of integrity as wildlife wardens. Along Lake Geneva there are vineyards and other cultivated areas, just as elsewhere in Switzerland. Evidently, however, they have adopted humane and ethical approaches to dealing with wildlife, along with intelligent measures to protect crops. In Geneva, foxes, martens, or badgers are not culled simply because it is hunting season — as reflected in the federal hunting statistics (2). Instead, practical deterrence measures (12) are employed, along with meaningful public education, assistance, and training carried out by wildlife wardens. Safety, animal welfare, and ethics are the guiding principles.

There is no legally mandated cull planning or population monitoring for foxes. Fox hunting resembles a kind of short-circuit ecology practised by inadequately trained hunters.

In the view of IG Wild beim Wild, granting cantons broader powers under hunting legislation is counterproductive — quite the contrary. They are unable to handle the responsibility, are overwhelmed, are inadequately trained as hobby hunters and decision-makers, and they lie. Moreover, they already enjoy more than enough unchecked latitude. Current examples include, among others, the head of the hunting and fisheries office in the canton of Zurich.

Accordingly, every fox or badger hunt in Solothurn constitutes a clear violation of the Animal Welfare Act, owing to the absence of any reasonable purpose. Fox and badger hunting is therefore primarily organized animal cruelty..

Wildlife also has feelings and emotions. They can suffer, grieve, and experience joy. Like us humans, they live in family groups and social structures, which hobby hunters mostly terrorize and desecrate for fun.

Foxes in the canton of Solothurn are pursued for a full 8 months – while the badger is hunted for over 6 months, according to federal hunting statistics. Given this level of stress, one need not wonder why these animals become ill. Across all of Europe, the epicenter of fox tapeworm reports lies in Switzerland – precisely in the areas of Switzerland where hunting-affiliated hobby hunters have entrenched themselves within cantonal authorities. These senseless disturbances and noise emissions caused by hobby hunters during night hunting in wildlife habitats also consistently disrupt entire wildlife populations and local residents.

Master Grimbart – as the badger is known in fable – is not often seen: the largest member of the mustelid family is shy and active only at night. Badgers spend the day mainly in their setts, which are usually located on the edge of settlements and are often used by successive generations. Badgers are also harmless to humans and pose no threat to agriculture, forestry, or wild or domestic animals. Badgers do not attack cats and are primarily active at night. If they must defend themselves against dogs, it is generally the dog that comes off worse. During winter, or in cold temperatures, badgers spend most of their time sleeping – they enter a winter rest. The canton of Solothurn does not even grant the badger a closed season at the cantonal level; it is huntable from June 16 to January 15 – which constitutes animal cruelty of an unparalleled kind. Badgers also do not transmit diseases, a claim hobby hunters repeatedly raise as a pretextual argument.

Science versus hunters’ tales

For more than 30 years, there have been at least 18 wildlife biology studies proving that fox hunting neither regulates populations nor serves any purpose in disease control. Quite the contrary!

Scientific studies (5) have shown that even when three-quarters of a population is shot, the same number of foxes will be present again the following year. The more intensively they are hunted, the more offspring are produced – any form of “regulation” of these populations is neither necessary nor even achievable by hunting means.

Fox populations are regulated through a complex social system. Foxes live in family groups in which only the highest-ranking vixen produces offspring (similar to the lead sow in wild boar groups). The biologist Erik Zimen commented on this phenomenon as birth control rather than mass misery. However, when humans intervene in the fox population with traps and guns, these family communities (3) are destroyed. As a result, nearly all vixens become ready to mate, and the number of cubs per litter increases sharply.

«Even without hunting, there would not suddenly be too many foxes, hares, or birds. Experience shows that nature can be left to its own devices. From a purely pragmatic perspective, small game hunting is not necessary.»

Heinrich Haller, former National Park Director of Graubünden and wildlife biologist

Studies conducted in various countries and at different points in time have also demonstrated the influence of the red fox not only on roe deer populations: for the Bernese Midlands, it is estimated that a fox can catch an average of eleven fawns between May and July. This also reduces wildlife browsing damage (1).

Many case studies such as national parks, Luxembourg (10) or, among others, the Canton of Geneva have shown that there are no valid arguments for these massacres. Habitat that becomes available is immediately reoccupied by these animals. It is well documented scientifically that fox populations develop largely independently of hunting management attempts, because hunting, on the contrary, causes reproduction rates to skyrocket.

In Switzerland, however, hobby hunters shoot around 20,000 healthy foxes every year, destined for the bin or incineration (2). Precisely the number needed so that the at-risk group of hobby hunters can later spread their sectarian hunters’ lore about being indispensable regulators. This pointless mountain of carcasses at the taxpayer’s expense must come to an end. Recreational hunters cause more problems than they allegedly solve. This absurd behavior does nothing for the forests either.

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

Can the enlightened female taxpayer and the responsible male taxpayer in Solothurn still reconcile it with their conscience to support such officials in the canton, who couldn't care less about ethics, science, or animal welfare, and who lie to and endanger the public?

An end to animal cruelty and the waste of taxpayers' money in the canton of Solothurn.

Fox hunting is ecologically, economically, and epidemiologically pointless — indeed even counterproductive! — and must therefore be banned in the interest of people, nature, and wildlife, as well as from the perspective of ethics, morality, and animal welfare. Blind actionism and violence help no one.

Wild animals feeding within their shared habitat does not constitute damage, but rather a natural process essential to the survival of these living beings. What is called for here is tolerance and fairness. We humans build over and destroy wildlife habitat on every level to a far greater extent. Wild animals have just as much a right to exist as humans do. These disrespectful killing campaigns bear no relation to a healthy and heartfelt sense of justice. Against hail and bird damage, one can protect oneself, for example, with nets or deterrence.

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 that this be published in the official gazette.

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

• Cantonal Councillor Birgit Wyss: kanzlei@vd.so.ch
• Greens Switzerland: gruene@gruene.ch
• Greens Solothurn: kontakt@gruene-so.ch
• Office for Forests, Hunting and Fisheries: jf@vd.so.ch
• SP Solothurn: sekretariat@sp-so.ch
• Green Liberals Solothurn: so@grunliberale.ch

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

• Cantonal Councillor Birgit Wyss, +41 32 627 24 32
• Office for Forests, Hunting and Fisheries + 41 032 627 23 47
• Green Party Switzerland, +41 31 326 66 00
• Green Party Solothurn +41 76 702 90 63
• SP Solothurn + 41 032 622 07 77
• Green Liberals Solothurn + 41  079 300 46 40

In addition, we demand:

• The recognition of scientific studies and expert opinions (not from the recreational hunter milieu) that call into question or refute the necessity of hunting.
• No dissemination of sectarian or debunked hunting myths, such as the alleged necessity of regulating fox populations, fear-mongering about rabies, fox tapeworm and mange, or claims that foxes are responsible for the decline of small game, etc.
• The killing of animals as part of a leisure activity has no place in the 21st century and should also be subject to criminal prosecution.

Justification:

In the canton of Solothurn, during the 2018 hunting season, mostly healthy 658 foxes and 222 badgers were killed by militant hobby hunters without any scientific basis or wildlife biology expertise.

The specious arguments about allegedly combating rabies, fox tapeworm or mange through relentless hunting have been scientifically refuted. Mange is far less common than assumed, and foxes in good physical condition can recover from mange on their own. These fox populations then become resistant to reinfection. Furthermore, mange in foxes poses no danger to humans or domestic animals.

The alleged threat to meadow birds — that is, ground-nesting birds — can be dismissed as hunters’ tall tales, given that research exists rating the impact on bird populations as negligible (3). This is all the more understandable when one considers the fox’s primary diet: mice and earthworms. Foxes are highly beneficial to agriculture. And the fact that foxes are also highly beneficial to forestry and protect humans from disease by eagerly consuming mice — which are considered the primary carriers of conditions such as Lyme disease — is known to very few people.

Industrial agriculture is the primary factor in the population decline of endangered species, as it destroys animal habitats. New arable land, monocultures, fertilizers, and pesticides are progressively destroying the natural structures that are vital for their survival — and over-fertilization also diminishes the food supply. However, the killing of animals by hobby hunters places additional pressure on already weakened populations and can push them to the brink of extinction. Absurdly, hunters attempt to attribute the decline in hare populations to predators such as the fox. Foxes, however, feed primarily on mice and earthworms and pose no threat to hare populations or ground-nesting birds. On the one hand, it is a waste of time for a fox to search unsuccessfully for rare and therefore hard-to-find prey; on the other hand, a healthy hare, for instance, is simply not prey for even the fastest fox — with their powerful hind legs, these long-eared animals can launch themselves from a standing start to over 70 km/h. Studies show that the vast majority of hares consumed by foxes are taken as carrion.

The spurious arguments about supposedly combating rabies, fox tapeworm, or mange through relentless hunting have been scientifically refuted. Mange is far rarer than assumed, and foxes in good physical condition are capable of recovering from it. These fox populations then become resistant to reinfection. Furthermore, mange in foxes poses no danger to humans or domestic animals. It is very easily treated.

Fox Tapeworm

Fewer foxes, fewer fox tapeworms, and therefore a lower risk of infection for humans. At first glance a plausible conclusion — but on closer analysis, nothing more than hunters' tall tales, as several international studies (6) confirm.

Across Europe, the epicenter of fox tapeworm cases is located in Switzerland — precisely in those areas of Switzerland where hunting-oriented hobby hunters have entrenched themselves within cantonal authorities. These senseless disturbances and noise emissions caused by hobby hunters in wildlife habitats consistently disrupt entire wildlife populations as well as local residents..

There are far more zoonoses among pets and livestock. As a rule, only hobby hunters become infected with a zoonosis such as the fox tapeworm. Approximately 20 – 30 people in Switzerland contract this liver disease (Echinococcus multilocularis) per year. This is no more than in the past, as fewer foxes were found in cities back then. The immune system of most people is strong enough to fend off an infection. As a rule, the larvae of the fox tapeworm develop in the livers of mice and some rats. If a fox eats an 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. Somewhat reassuring is the fact that the incidence of the disease in Switzerland is very low, that direct transmission from fox to dog is not possible, and that neutered animals cannot get the fox tapeworm.

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

The risk of infection for ordinary forest visitors is minimal. Contrary to widespread rumours, no fox tapeworm patient is known to have been infected through wild forest berries. Berries growing high on bushes can be ruled out as a route of infection. It is hard to imagine how fox droppings could reach berries hanging high up on a bush.

“We have observed that fox mothers give birth to more young in areas where the animals are hunted. While culling may provide localised relief, the vacated territories are quickly reoccupied. Nature regulates this on its own.”

 Wildlife warden Fabian Kern

Culling foxes can even have the effect that the newly vacated habitat is repopulated by foxes with a far greater proportion of fox tapeworm carriers.

Fox mange

Not every scruffy-looking fox has mange, and dogs are not at particularly high risk of infection either. The parasitic mange mite can certainly infect dogs or humans — but such infections are optimally treatable in both cases. The locally apparent increase in the occurrence of these mites is not the result of an excessively high fox population density. Therefore, increased hunting would not prevent the spread of mange. What is scientifically proven, in fact, is that hunting is counterproductive when it comes to controlling wildlife diseases in foxes specifically. More broadly, it has also been shown that in intensively hunted areas, the fox population does not decline — on the contrary, it increases due to higher reproduction rates and the immigration of new animals.

The main reasons for the spread of fox mange are considered to be intensive hunting. Hunting results in an artificially rejuvenated and growing population with a weakened immune system, which in turn leads to a rise in migrating young foxes in autumn who spread the pathogens they carry.

"Unfortunately, we are unable to provide health data on foxes shot, as this is not recorded in the culling records. This applies both to regular hunting and to special culls carried out between 15 June and 31 August. Among animals found dead, some do show signs of mange, but we cannot break down the figure from the 23% attributed to age, illness, or weakness. As a general assumption, we can say that over the past 20 years, between 5 and 10% of foxes were affected by mange. Distemper occurs rarely."

Rolf Schneeberger, LANAT Office for Agriculture and Nature

In the past, too, mange and distemper would periodically flare up locally and then die out again on their own. Particularly in areas where mange has spread most severely, foxes appear to be developing increasing resistance to new infections. However, since hunting eliminates the natural survival advantage of mange-resistant foxes (a hobby hunter cannot tell at a glance whether a fox is resistant to mange), killing foxes is likely to be counterproductive in this respect as well. Incidentally, with regard to distemper, it has been found that wild animals have already developed antibodies, making the risk marginal.

Foxes protect us

A new study (7) suggests that the extinction of mouse-hunting predators, particularly the fox, is the cause of the rising 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 so many foxes were not killed, farmers would not have to apply as much poison in the fields against mouse infestations — which in turn burdens the entire ecosystem."

IG Wild beim Wild

Forest rangers must combat mice — which damage seedlings and trees — using chemicals, mechanical means, and traps, while hobby hunters hunt foxes that would actually keep the mouse population under control. The consequences are millions of francs in damages and additional effort in forestry due to hunting. Farmers and orchardists must hire mouse catchers because foxes and other predators are absent.

Barbaric folklore or normal hunting method?

Fox hunting involves practices (9) that animal welfare legislation actually prohibits. The earth hunting method and the training of earth dogs on live foxes are particularly cruel.

At least among the Swiss population, earth hunting enjoys little acceptance — as shown by a representative survey conducted in September 2017 among 1,015 people by the market research company Demoscope on behalf of the Swiss Animal Protection (STS). 64 percent support a ban, while only 21 percent wish to retain earth hunting. Opposition is somewhat stronger among women and those aged 15 to 34. No Röstigraben exists.

The fox is a very vivid (and sad) example of how hobby hunters, through their ignorance and compulsive need to control nature, create problems themselves and worsen natural regulatory mechanisms. If one approaches foxes without prejudice, one quickly recognizes that they are fascinating animals with impressive abilities. They are very caring parents and possess extraordinary skills, such as incorporating the Earth's magnetic field in their search for food. Furthermore, as hunters of mice, they are essential to both agriculture and forestry, and play a significant role in curbing “rodent-transmitted pathogens” such as hantaviruses or Borrelia. For these reasons, we should see the fox for what it is — namely, an important component of the ecosystem and an enrichment of native fauna.

In fact, small game hunting as a whole should be banned. Those who kill senselessly are not protecting anything, and civilized society gains nothing from it. Hobby hunters therefore do not ensure healthy or natural wildlife populations either.

Particularly when it comes to hobby hunters, it is absolutely essential to look very closely. Nowhere else is there so much manipulation through untruths, hunters’ tales, and fake news. Violence and lies are two sides of 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
• Notes and references Link
• Scientific literature: Studies on the Red Fox
• Hunters spread diseases: Study
• Hunting promotes diseases: Study
• Hobby hunters in criminal activity: The list
• A ban on pointless fox hunting is long overdue: Article
• Luxembourg extends fox hunting ban: Article
• Small game hunting and wildlife diseases: Article
• Deterrence of wild animals: Article

Response from Regional Councillor Brigit Wyss, Solothurn

The Office for Hunting and Fishing as well as the hobby hunters of Revierjagd Solothurn declined to comment in writing. The specialist office in Bern, however, responded:

«In general, we can assume that over the past 20 years, between 5 – 10% of foxes have been affected by mange. Dust’s disease is very rare.”

Rolf Schneeberger, LANAT Office for Agriculture and Nature, Bern

Solothurner Zeitung:Fighting a bloody hobby

IG Wild beim Wild also made telephone enquiries to Mr. Mark Struch of the hunting specialist office in Solothurn. Mr. Struch confirmed that more healthy foxes are shot than sick ones. It was only after he heard about the letter from Regional Councillor Brigit Wyss that he backpedalled.

Marcel Tschan from the same office once again distorts the facts in the article in the Solothurner Zeitung. Industrial agriculture is the primary factor behind the decline in hare populations, as it destroys the animals’ habitat. New arable land, monocultures, fertilisers, and pesticides are increasingly destroying the natural structures vital to their survival – and with over-fertilisation, their food supply is also dwindling. Absurdly, hunters attempt to attribute the decline in hare populations to predators such as the fox. However, foxes feed primarily on mice and earthworms and are simply unable to catch a healthy hare. Foxes pose no threat to hare populations or to ground-nesting birds.

The statement from Pro Natura Solothurn is once again disrespectful towards sentient beings. Pro Natura Solothurn is thereby endorsing a culture of violence and animal cruelty, and contradicts its parent organisation: «The conservationists at Pro Natura see things very differently: The senseless mountain of carcasses must be prevented.»