Thurgau: Hobby hunter shoots four sheep

A hobby hunter made an unusual mistake in a patch of woodland between Affeltrangen and Thundorf in the canton of Thurgau: instead of shooting wild boar as intended, he accidentally killed four sheep while equipped with a night-vision device.

He subsequently turned himself in to the authorities.

Confusion of sheep and wild boar

The consequential hunting error occurred in the Affeltrangen-Thundorf area on the night of 29 December. «One wonders what hunters are actually aiming at when they shoot entirely different animals, or even people, whom they mistake for game,» writes Erwin Kessler of the organisation Verein gegen Tierfabriken in a statement in which he drew attention to the offending hunter.

Speaking to FM1 Today, Daniel Meili, media spokesperson for the Thurgau cantonal police, confirmed the incident: «I can confirm that the events occurred as described.» The 61-year-old problematic hunter from Weingarten-Kalthäusern informed the police the very same night. The police were not yet able to provide any information on whether the hunting error would have criminal law consequences.

The shepherd who had been supervising the flock that evening had been taking his sheep into the woodland near Affeltrangen for many years to spend the night there. He had intended to do so again on the previous Friday evening, according to the newspaper Tagblatt.

«I have experienced quite a lot, but until now none of my sheep had ever been shot,» says Johannes Barandun, the owner of the affected flock. He finds the confusion between a sheep and a wild boar incomprehensible.

While he was cooking his evening meal, he heard the first shots. He assumed the hunter had hit wildlife and therefore hadn't worried about his flock. There was a longer pause before the last two shots. The shepherd only realized that the hunter had shot his sheep when it was already too late. "What hurts the shepherd most is that his lead animal was among the sheep that were shot," says Barandun. The animals had not strayed that evening, but had remained in the flock the entire time.

In addition to the four sheep that were killed outright, three more were so severely injured by the shots — probably by ricochets — that they had to be emergency-slaughtered. This was confirmed by butcher Erwin Schenk from Bänikon, who carried out the emergency slaughter.

No criminal consequences

According to Bruno Ackermann, president of the Thurgau Hunting Association, this constitutes a serious hunting error. "You only shoot at something you can identify." Ackermann is not aware of any similar case in the past. "Nothing like this has ever happened in Thurgau." He believes the hunters will face serious consequences. "It is prohibited to shoot at livestock. In extreme cases, they could lose their licence."

A breathalyser test was carried out on the spot, explains Daniel Meili, media spokesperson for the Thurgau Cantonal Police. The result: 0.00 per mille. From the public prosecutor's perspective, no criminally relevant conduct is present in this case, according to their media spokesperson Stefan Haffter. "However, the police will prepare a report for the cantonal hunting and fisheries administration." This will land on the desk of department head Roman Kistler. "I am not aware of any such case in the past 15 years," says Kistler. The offending hunter is unlikely to face revocation of his hunting licence. "That is really only something a judge can do."

That hunting accidents and criminal offences by hobby hunters frequently go without serious consequences is a recurring pattern in Swiss hunting practice. The animal welfare problem of recreational hunting is clearly evident in such cases as well.

Not the first case

Just last September, a Swiss hobby hunter shot four donkeys in France. The 38-year-old hobby hunter from the Romandy region had cold-bloodedly shot the donkeys near a forest. The hunting association of Savoy condemns the act and refuses to speak of a “hunting accident.”