Valais: End of Trophy Hunting for Ibex
Starting next year, foreigners will no longer be permitted to trophy hunt ibex in Valais. For 2020, 25 daily permits have already been issued.
It is official: from now on, hobby hunters from abroad will no longer be allowed to hunt ibex in Valais.
For this year, however, 25 daily permits have already been issued to foreign hunters.
Starting next year, foreigners in Valais will no longer be permitted to trophy hunt ibex. Only hobby hunters residing in the canton of Valais or those holding a Valaisian hunting licence will be allowed to shoot ibex.
This was decided by the canton of Valais as part of a five-year resolution, as announced on Friday, 28 August 2020. Last autumn, media reports about wealthy foreigners shooting ibex in Valais had sparked controversy.
Trophy hunting had until now been a lucrative sideline for the canton, bringing in several hundred thousand francs annually. Swiss and foreign hunters alike can purchase a so-called daily licence in Valais to shoot ibex. Depending on the length of the horns, they paid up to 20’000 francs for the privilege.
Ibex Hunting: 25 Permits Still Issued to Foreigners
For the year 2020, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has approved the regulation plan submitted by the Wildlife, Hunting and Fishing Service (DJFW). This plan provides for the removal of a maximum of 544 ibex (269 males and 275 females). Of these, 323 will be culled as part of the regular regulation hunt by Valaisian hunters. The remaining quota will be filled through daily hunting permits, flat-rate licence culls, and any conservation culls carried out by wildlife wardens. For old males (eleven years and older), the FOEN approved the removal of a maximum of 56 animals. The DJFW has issued 45 special daily hunting permits for old males for the current year, 25 of which have been granted to foreign hunters.
In 2021, with the entry into force of the new five-year resolution 2021–2025, ibex regulation is carried out exclusively by hunters residing in Valais or holders of a Valais hunting license. The restriction of the circle of hunters permitted to carry out ibex regulation will lead to a reduction in the workload of game wardens, as the supervision and accompaniment of foreign hunters holding a daily hunting permit will no longer be required. The elimination of this segment thus allows for savings in personnel resources, which makes it possible to partially offset the constantly growing workload related to large predators. The planned change in practice will have no impact on hunting license prices in the canton of Valais.
