PETA Files Criminal Complaint Against Hunter in Rhineland-Palatinate

A video circulating on the internet shows several hunting dogs shaking, biting, and ultimately tearing apart a live cat while a man shouts encouragement. A witness tipped off PETA about the alleged perpetrator.

The animal rights organization filed a complaint against the man, a hobby hunter who breeds hunting dogs in Rhineland-Palatinate, with the Bad Kreuznach public prosecutor's office for violation of the Animal Welfare Act, which subsequently launched a criminal investigation. In addition to a substantial penalty, PETA is also calling for a hunting ban and the revocation of the man's hunting licence.

Extreme Sadism of a Hobby Hunter

"The extreme sadism displayed by the man in the video shows that recreational hunting is nothing more than a bloody hobby," said Dr. Christian Arleth, legal counsel at PETA. "The perpetrator deliberately subjected the cat to the greatest suffering and took pleasure in watching it die. Such behavior is not only abhorrent and outrageous — it also reveals the violent disposition and danger to the public posed by this hobby hunter."

The Animal Welfare Act prohibits setting animals against one another. The killing of the cat was also unlawful, as hobby hunters are only permitted to kill cats when they are caught in the act of poaching. Every year in Germany, an estimated 350’000 cats are shot by hobby hunters under the pretence that they threaten biodiversity. However, the greatest danger to wildlife is the hobby hunters themselves.

Recreational Hunting Is Unnecessary and Counterproductive

Recognized wildlife biologists agree that from an ecological standpoint, there is no necessity for hobby hunting. According to renowned biologist Prof. Dr. Josef Reichholf, the nearly exterminated wolves do not need to be replaced by human hobby hunters, as natural regulation of wildlife populations living in forests occurs through environmental factors such as weather, food availability, and disease. Hobby hunting, on the other hand, destroys the age and social structures of animal populations, which leads to increased reproduction among survivors.

The animal rights organization points out that the approximately 350’000 hobby hunters in Germany are opposed by only around 1’000 professional hunters, primarily forestry officials. More on Crime and Hobby Hunting and on the Animal Welfare Problem.