PETA names hunting association Speciesism of the Year

In an online vote, the hunting association prevailed over the other previously named nominees and secured the dubious top spot.

The campaign «Tierwohltäter – Wir sind die Guten» («Animal Welfare Benefactors – We Are the Good Guys») had already been named winner of the «Speciesism of the Month» in November 2024. The portrayal and legitimisation of recreational hunting of wild animals as a necessary form of animal and nature conservation are based on the speciesist assumption that wild animals’ interests in their lives and in an existence as free from suffering as possible count for less than those of humans.

In reality, animals are exploited in recreational hunting to serve human interests: to produce food from their carcasses, to display their dead bodies as “trophies,” or simply to satisfy the desire to kill. More on the hunting myths and the animal welfare problem.

“The PETA community has chosen a deserving winner in the Bayerischer Jagdverband,” said Peter Höffken, policy adviser at PETA. “The vote has shown that the campaign «Tierwohltäter – Wir sind die Guten» is a transparent attempt to attribute active animal and nature conservation to what is primarily a hobby. Recreational hunters kill countless wild animals every year in agony and, moreover, unnecessarily, thereby doing nothing whatsoever to promote animal welfare, as this campaign seeks to suggest.”

Recreational hunting not necessary, according to experts

Recognized wildlife biologists agree that from an ecological perspective there is no necessity for hobby hunting. According to renowned biologist Prof. Dr. Josef Reichholf, natural regulation of animal populations living in forests occurs through environmental influences such as weather conditions, food availability, and disease. English scientists also concluded that fox populations, among others, regulate themselves based on food availability and social factors self-regulate. Hobby hunting, on the other hand, destroys the age and social structures of animal populations, leading to increased reproduction among survivors. Losses in the population are thus quickly compensated or even overcompensated through offspring and immigration. Hobby hunting is therefore unnecessary, counterproductive, and cruel. The approximately 436’000 hobby hunters in Germany are contrasted by only around 1’000 professional hunters, primarily forestry officials.

PETA's Negative Award “Speciesism of the Month”

In 2024 as well, PETA once again awarded a monthly negative prize — the “Speciesism of the Month” — to individuals, companies, or products that have shown themselves to be particularly speciesist and hostile to animals. After one year, the title “Speciesism of the Year” is awarded for the most outrageous case among the previous “winners,” determined through a public vote. Prince Marcus had received this title in the previous year. With this award, PETA aims to raise public awareness of the issue of speciesism and to encourage critical reflection, rethinking, and animal-friendly action. For speciesist thinking creates the basis upon which animals are used, mistreated, and killed for human purposes as a matter of course.

Analogous to the terms racism and sexism, speciesism a form of discrimination – more precisely, the devaluation of sentient animals based on their species membership. Humans are regarded as superior to all other species. In addition, distinctions are made between different animal species, divided into so-called pets and livestock: dogs and cats, for instance, are lovingly cared for, while pigs, cattle and chickens are killed and eaten. Due to their belonging to the “wrong” species, animals are reduced to research objects, food, clothing material or toys. Yet they are all capable of experiencing joy and suffering, and therefore have an interest in, and a right to, living and not being harmed. PETA advocates an anti-speciesist perspective and emphasises that this common characteristic of all sentient beings is decisive when it comes to determining who holds moral rights. Animals have the same right to life, freedom and physical integrity as humans.