Podcast episode: Hunting, wildlife and animal welfare

In this episode, IG Wild beim Wild takes apart four thematic areas.

First, it addresses the contradictions of hunting ethics: in the canton of Jura, hobby hunters put in one working day a year for nature – while their president mobilises against the wolf and the lynx. On top of that comes a wounding rate of 54 per cent in bow hunting.

Then comes the question of whose fear counts politically: no documented wolf bites on humans in Switzerland since 1995, but 860 dog bites in the canton of Zurich alone in the last year. And in the northern Vosges, the lynx Lycka has given birth to offspring – the first since the 17th century.

The third part is about the returnees of the skies: the first osprey brood in the Three Lakes region since 1914 and the stork record of 1,770 wintering birds. Set against this are homing pigeon races with loss rates of over 50 per cent.

Finally, it turns to what ends up on the plate after a day's hunting: lead ammunition in game meat, official warnings for pregnant women and children, and the poisoning of predators.