SRF DOK: Fox hunting in Switzerland is not effective

SRF DOK: An animal welfare activist secretly raises two orphaned young foxes, risking a heavy fine in the process. At the same time, hunters shoot thousands of foxes every year — yet foxes cannot be regulated this way. Two perspectives on a controversial wild animal.

Editorial Wild beim Wild — 15 November 2024

An animal welfare activist secretly raises two orphaned young foxes, even though this is illegal and a game warden would normally be responsible.

The animal welfare activist believes every young animal deserves a second chance. Scientists point out that the fox population depends primarily on food availability, and that intensive hunting leads to increased reproduction among surviving females.

Intensified hunting has the effect that surviving females produce more offspring more frequently, explains wildlife biologist Claudia Kistler. Fox hunting for population control is therefore not effective, and she calls for a rethink in how we deal with this fascinating wild animal.

According to studies, hobby hunters actually spread diseases through fox hunting — something that has been known since at least the campaign against terrestrial rabies.

Hobby-Jäger verbreiten Krankheiten durch Jagdpraktiken

In Switzerland, around twenty thousand foxes are pointlessly shot by hobby hunters every year, organised by the cantonal offices for hunting and nonsense.

Dossiers: The fox in Switzerland: The most hunted predator without a lobby | Fox hunting without facts: How JagdSchweiz invents problems

HOBBY HUNTER RADAR

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Natural disaster: hobby hunters

In the chaos in which nature finds itself after decades of stewardship by hobby hunters the share of threatened species is nowhere in the world as high as in Switzerland. The contract killers have been creating an ecological imbalance in the cultivated landscape for decades, with sometimes dramatic consequences (protective forests, diseases, agricultural damage, and much more). Over a third of plant, wildlife and fungal species are considered threatened. Switzerland also ranks last in Europe when it comes to designating protected areas for biodiversity. It is precisely these circles of hobby hunters, with their lobbying efforts, who have been responsible for this through politics, media and legislation for decades. They are the ones who notoriously block contemporary, ethical improvements in animal welfare and sabotage serious animal and species protection. Hobby hunters regularly oppose more national parks in Switzerland, because their concern is not nature, biodiversity, species protection or animal welfare, but rather the pursuit of their perverse, bloody hobby.

Did you know …

that in Switzerland innocent young wolves are being liquidated?
that hobby hunters lie about the assessment of game meat quality, and that processed game meat is classified as carcinogenic by the WHO, just like cigarettes, asbestos or arsenic?
that according to studies, nowhere is the lead contamination of golden eagles and bearded vultures higher than in the Swiss Alps, due to the ammunition used by hobby hunters?
that the fair chase ethics of hobby hunters are diametrically opposed to animal protection law and amount to nothing but a mirage?
that hunting is war, where animal competitors are simply liquidated?
that there are countless illegal and unmarked hunting blinds in our natural landscape, some so rotten that they pose a danger to children and can cause the death of people?
that year after year countless people are killed or injured by hunters' firearms, some so severely that they end up in wheelchairs or have limbs amputated?
that in Switzerland around 120,000 perfectly healthy roe deer, red deer, foxes, marmots and chamois are killed each year, mostly for no good reason?
that because of hobby hunters it has become almost impossible to live in harmony with wildlife or to even catch sight of wild animals?
that shotgun blasts cause hares to scream like small children, and tear apart the entrails of “shot” roe deer and red deer so that they leave a trail for tracking during flight?
that the claim made by hobby hunters that the cruel wildlife massacres are necessary to regulate animal populations has been scientifically refuted?
that hobby hunters openly admit that hunting is about the "lust for killing" and "the joy of making a kill" — a pathological passion?
that hobby hunters do not possess a sixth sense and yet regularly claim to shoot only sick and weak animals, which is of course not true in practice?
that hobby hunters travel abroad for trophy hunting, far removed from any species protection and hunting regulations, and that there are even Swiss hobby hunter travel agencies offering such degenerate hunting pursuits?
that the vast majority are not legitimately professional hunters, but pursue hunting as a hobby, sport and leisure activity, which is morally indefensible and actually contradicts the Animal Protection Act?
that 99.07% of civilised people in Switzerland are not hobby hunters, meaning only 0.3% of hobby hunters take pleasure in these bloody activities?
that these wildlife killers do not hunt on the basis of scientific justifications?
that protected species should not fall under hunting law, because hobby hunters are overwhelmed by the demands of species conservation and repeatedly shoot animals listed on the Red List — such as the lynx, wolf, brown hare, grey partridge, quail, etc. — for sport?
that hobby hunters deliberately decimate certain animal species in order to eliminate competition for their unnatural behaviour — targeting foxes, lynx, wolves, birds of prey, etc.?
that wildlife dies before the hobby hunter can fire even a single shot, that this must be prevented, and that this is arguably the central idea behind wildlife stewardship, conservation management and hunting planning?
that in wild boar populations (and among foxes) normally only the lead sow produces young, but that due to the shooting of the lead sow, all female animals within the group reproduce, which is also a reason why we are experiencing a wild boar population surge?
that grazing animals — deer, roe deer, etc. — originally lived primarily as daytime animals in fields and meadows, like goats, sheep and cows, and not in forests?
that the wolf is vitally important for the long-term health of wild ungulates, because it hunts sick or weak animals with remarkable precision, for example, and is therefore vastly superior to hobby hunters?
that foxes, after being senselessly hunted, most often end up in the rubbish?
that foxes are hunted today primarily so that there are more hares, etc. for hobby hunters to put in the frying pan? That the fox, however, feeds on hares in less than 10% of cases and would never catch a healthy hare?
that in animal welfare advocacy, dealing with hobby hunters cannot rely solely on gentleness, street festivals, prayer chains, etc. (you have to fight fire with fire)?
that hobby hunters, with their hunters' tall tales, engage in a disrespectful mockery of living beings?
that it is frowned upon to shoot large game at feeding stations or during mating season, yet hobby hunters have no qualms about doing exactly this to their prey competitor, the fox?
that in some cantons hobby hunters go hunting solely for the tender meat of a young animal?
that hobby hunters shoot pregnant mother deer in front of their young, or target only young animals during the rearing period (post-special hunt)?
that hobby hunters poison the environment, nature, humans and animals with their ammunition?
that bestiality, barbarism, cruelty, bloodshed and senseless suffering cannot be considered a cultural asset in a civilised society?
that hobby hunters shoot approximately 10’000 roe deer fawns every year?
that during harsh winters hobby hunters lure starving animals with food only to shoot them in a treacherous and cowardly manner?
that hobby hunters send agitated dogs into burrows to eliminate foxes and badgers (den hunting)?
that hobby hunters lure peaceful living beings into box traps, where they may suffer for days awaiting their killer, or often subject animals to an agonising death struggle lasting hours (trap hunting)?
that hobby hunters cowardly ambush and shoot or injure peaceful wild animals while they sleep or bask in the sun, using state-of-the-art precision weapons?
that hobby hunters support awards, fur markets, prize ceremonies for trophy cults, trophy shows, fur trading, etc.?
that hobby hunters place firearms in the hands of underage schoolchildren and practise killing with them?
that hobby hunters often carry out their cruel acts in isolation, which encourages animal cruelty?
that hobby hunters frequently seriously wound wild animals, leaving the victims to suffer for hours in tremendous pain and fear, until a tracking dog finds them and they are shot?
that hobby hunters (aside from vivisection) inflict the most suffering and abuse on animals, including through the manner in which they kill?
that the hunter's love of animals and nature takes no joy in the existence of the beloved object, but rather aims to possess the beloved creature body and soul, culminating in turning it into prey through the act of killing?
that hobby hunters actively encourage browsing damage through hunting pressure, particularly on predators such as fox, lynx and wolf?
that hobby hunters open the door to antisocial, unethical and unchristian behaviour?
that hobby hunters deprive the public of normal, natural wildlife observation and interactions?
that there is no greater product of cruelty, more contaminated with ammunition residue, than venison?
that there is no uniform national regulation in Switzerland concerning vision tests, shooting practice, and so forth for hobby hunters?
that there is no psychological character assessment for hobby hunters?
that there is no alcohol ban for hobby hunters when they are shooting at animals with their weapons?
that hobby hunters intrude into educational institutions in order to foist their hunters' tales and their culture of violence upon children?
that a court in Bellinzona recently confirmed that hunting clubs promote practically everything that is cruel, unnecessary and heartless?
that the association «Jagd Schweiz» cultivates above all disrespect and a culture of violence — the very opposite of what a civilised person in our society should aspire to.
that in the canton of Grisons alone, more than 1’000 complaints and fines are issued against hobby hunters every year?