Roe deer dies in flex fence: association president convicted
The man was issued a penalty order for negligent animal cruelty, as he was the president of the shooting club. The Winterthur/Unterland public prosecutor's office threatens him with a fine of 1'800 francs if he violates the law again within the three-year probationary period. Although the man did not shoot any animal, animals have died.
Flex fences as death traps for wildlife
The president of a shooting club in the Winterthur region was convicted because he had failed to arrange for a new fence after a roe deer had died in a flex fence.
According to Swiss animal welfare organisations, between 3’000 and 4’500 wild animals die a painful death in fences every year. The number of injured animals is likely to be around four times higher still. Hunting associations also warn against mobile fences. For this reason, the former municipality of Waltalingen had, for example, banned the installation of electric pasture nets in its police regulations. Now the municipality of Stammheim, to which Waltalingen has since belonged, adopted this regulation into the new police regulations at its municipal assembly at the beginning of the year.
The veterinary office and hunting associations warn of the danger posed to wildlife by such fences.
Foreseeable animal suffering not prevented
A roe deer had already died in the same fence on a previous occasion, and although the municipality had planned to close the shooting range, the dangerous fence was not replaced.
The accused failed to find an animal-friendly solution for the fence, which resulted in another roe deer becoming entangled. From the public prosecutor's perspective, it was foreseeable that a roe deer could become entangled again — which is indeed what happened.
As «Der Landbote» now reports, the accused was therefore charged with animal cruelty sentenced to a suspended fine. When asked, he declined to comment.
Municipality awaits wildlife-friendly fence
The judiciary and the veterinary office do not always agree in such cases, as a similar case from 2018 in Andelfingen illustrates.
In the affected municipality, the flex fence has been removed and officials are now awaiting feedback from the shooting club regarding a new, wildlife-friendly fence to prevent accidents in the future.
