Ban on fox hunting in the canton
1. Motion
The government council is instructed to submit to the cantonal parliament a proposal for amending the Act on Hunting and Wildlife Protection (… act designation …) as well as the Hunting Ordinance (… ordinance designation …), by which in the canton of (…) fox hunting for recreational purposes is fundamentally abolished and replaced by a science-based, animal-welfare-compliant regulation. The legislative revision must in particular ensure that
- the targeted hunting of foxes for recreational purposes and for population regulation without a concrete, demonstrable reason is prohibited
- a general ban on fox hunting is enshrined within the canton's territory, with narrowly defined exceptional cases conclusively regulated in the act
- cantonal practice is explicitly based on current wildlife-ecological and animal-ethical findings and not on mere assumptions or traditions
In particular, it must be legally regulated that
- interventions in fox populations are permissible only in justified exceptional cases, namely in the event of
- an immediate imminent danger to public health (for example, in the case of a concretely proven outbreak of disease)
- a significant threat to important property that cannot be averted by reasonable, non-lethal means
- compelling nature conservation reasons, where it is clearly documented that a specific fox population directly and causally endangers a strictly protected species
- in these exceptional cases, interventions are as a rule carried out by the state wildlife wardens or by correspondingly specially qualified persons and are limited in scope and duration to the necessary minimum
- fox hunting as a hobby and recreational activity, including earth hunting, driven hunts and nocturnal wait hunting, is not permissible
Furthermore, it must be ensured that
- the canton introduces or expands a monitoring scheme for foxes, which systematically records occurrence, health status and conflict situations
- preventive measures in settlement areas and in agriculture are promoted as a priority, in particular waste hygiene, the securing of livestock holdings and public education
- the government council regularly reports to parliament on
- the development of the fox population
- any conflicts and the measures taken
- the effectiveness of the prevention strategies
- the new regulation is expressly in accordance with federal law as well as with the constitutional requirements regarding animal welfare, proportionality and the guarantee of property
In its proposal, the Government Council takes into account the necessary transitional provisions, in particular with regard to existing hunting plans, ongoing hunting lease arrangements and hunting permits already granted.
2. Brief justification
Traditional fox hunting is justified in many cantons with slogans such as population regulation, disease prevention or protection of biodiversity. A closer look at the wildlife ecology literature and at experiences from regions without hobby fox hunting shows, however, that these justifications are largely speculative and do not stand up to factual scrutiny.
Fox populations are primarily regulated by food availability, territorial structure, diseases and intraspecific competition. Intensive hunting can even lead to unstable conditions by destroying social structures and intensifying migratory movements. The frequently made claim that only hunting can keep diseases such as the fox tapeworm or other pathogens in check is, from a technical point of view, not substantiated. Effective disease prevention is based on monitoring, hygiene, informing the public and targeted, proportionate measures, not on widespread recreational hunting.
In the area of biodiversity, too, it becomes apparent that the decline of many ground-nesting birds and small mammals is primarily attributable to habitat loss, the intensification of agriculture and pesticides. The fixation on the fox as the main problem ignores these structural causes and serves as a politically convenient scapegoat.
From an animal-ethics perspective, current practice is particularly problematic. Foxes are highly social, intelligent wild animals with complex family structures. Nevertheless, in many places they are hunted almost year-round, often during sensitive phases such as the rearing and learning period of the young. The associated stress and suffering problem is hardly seriously taken into account in the conventional hunting justifications.
In addition, hunting and administrative arguments regarding fox hunting frequently rely on claims that are neither systematically evaluated nor transparently substantiated. Regions that forgo hobby fox hunting record neither collapsing biodiversity nor unmanageable disease situations. These experiences must be taken into account in a modern, science-oriented hunting policy.
Within the framework of federal hunting law, the cantons have considerable room for manoeuvre. They are neither obliged to provide for hobby fox hunting nor to define blanket kill targets for foxes. It is constitutionally permissible to ban fox hunting as a leisure activity and to restrict interventions to clearly defined exceptional cases in which overriding public interests make this imperative.
With this motion, the cantonal government is instructed to make consistent use of this room for manoeuvre. The canton (…) can thereby
- strengthen the protection of a native wild animal
- place scientific evidence above hunting tradition
- take animal welfare seriously and put an end to unnecessary cruelty to animals
- address conflicts in settlement areas and in agriculture with modern, preventive means
A clear statutory regulation banning fox hunting with narrowly defined exceptions creates legal certainty, relieves the cantonal authorities of ideologically charged disputes and sends a clear signal for a contemporary wildlife policy in the 21st century.
- Federal hunting statistics Link
- Explanations and references Link
- Scientific literature: Red fox studies
- Hunters spread diseases: Study
- Hunting promotes diseases: Study
- Recreational hunters and crime: The list
- A ban on senseless fox hunting is overdue: Article
- Luxembourg extends fox hunting ban: Article
- Small game hunting and wildlife diseases: Article
- Deterrence of wild animals: Article