Video: Is hunting really practiced to regulate wildlife?

A report from the cantons of Vaud and Valais asks: Why is recreational hunting still practiced even though humans no longer need to hunt?

Editorial Wild beim Wild — 22 November 2023

Regulation as a pretext

Why is recreational hunting still practiced even though people no longer need to hunt to feed themselves?

Although the argument of regulation is frequently cited, recreational hunting remains a genuine subject of controversy. An examination in the forests of the cantons of Vaud and Valais.

No greater connection to nature

In the report, a hobby hunter explains that all hobby hunters love animals and that no hobby hunter goes hunting to cause them suffering. The sad thing is, in their delusion they actually believe that.

Hobby hunters have been subjected to psychological and sociological studies both in Europe and in the United States, and have been compared with non-hunters across various aspects. The results clearly show that hobby hunters demonstrate no greater connection to nature than non-hunters, tend to hold negative views on issues of animal welfare, environmental protection, and nature conservation, and generally display a higher tendency toward aggressive behaviour.

Typical everyday reality: animal cruelty

Later, during an interview with a visibly alcohol-marked face, the viewer hears a shot. The poor animal was, of course, once again not hit properly and could not be found for hours. Typical everyday reality and animal cruelty with hobby hunters in Switzerland.

Hobby hunters: a natural disaster

In the disorder in which nature finds itself after decades of management and stewardship by hobby hunters, the proportion of threatened species is higher in no other country in the world than in Switzerland. These hired killers have been creating an ecological imbalance in the cultivated landscape for decades, with at times dramatic consequences (protective forests, disease, agricultural damage, and much more). More than one third of plant species, wildlife, and fungal species are considered threatened. Switzerland also ranks last in Europe when it comes to withdrawing protected areas for biodiversity. It is precisely these circles of hobby hunters with their lobbying who have been responsible for decades — through politics, media and legislation — for notoriously blocking contemporary, ethical improvements in animal welfare and sabotaging 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 perverted, 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 according to the WHO, processed game meat is carcinogenic — 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 ammunition used by hobby hunters?
that the fair chase ethics of hobby hunters flatly contradict animal welfare legislation and are 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 be fatal to people?
that year after year countless people are killed or injured by hunters' weapons, some so severely that they end up in wheelchairs or have limbs amputated?
that in Switzerland approximately 120,000 perfectly healthy roe deer, red deer, foxes, marmots and chamois are killed every year, mostly without purpose?
that because of hobby hunters, it has become nearly impossible to live in harmony with wildlife or to encounter wild animals at all?
that shotgun blasts make hares scream like small children and tear apart the entrails of “shot” roe deer and red deer, so that they leave a trail of blood for hunters to follow during tracking?
that the hobby hunters' claim that the brutal wildlife massacres are necessary to regulate animal populations has been scientifically refuted?
that hobby hunters openly admit that hunting is about the “pleasure of killing” and “the joy of making a kill” — a pathological obsession?
that hobby hunters have no sixth sense and yet regularly claim to shoot only sick and weak animals, which of course is not true in practice?
that hobby hunters travel abroad for trophy hunting, far from any species protection and hunting regulations, and that there are even Swiss hobby hunter travel agencies for such moronic hunting pursuits?
that the vast majority are not legitimate professional hunters, but practice hunting as a hobby, sport and leisure activity, which is immoral and actually contradicts the Animal Protection Act?
that 99.07% of civilized 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 do not actually belong under hunting law, because hobby hunters are overwhelmed by species protection and repeatedly shoot animals on the Red List — such as lynx, wolf, hare, grey partridge, quail, etc. — for sport?
that hobby hunters deliberately decimate certain animal species to eliminate competition for their unnatural behavior (fox, lynx, wolf, birds of prey, etc.)?
that wildlife dies before the hobby hunter can fire even a single shot, that preventing this is the goal, and that this is arguably the central idea behind wildlife stewardship, care, and hunting planning?
that with wild boar (and foxes), normally only the lead sow gives birth, but due to her being shot, all female animals within the sounder reproduce, and that this is also a reason why we have a wild boar surplus?
that grazing animals — deer, roe deer, etc. — originally lived primarily as diurnal animals in fields and meadows, like goats, sheep, cows, etc., and not in forests?
that the wolf is vitally important in the long term for keeping wild ungulates healthy, because it hunts sick or weak animals with incredible precision, for example, and is thus far superior to hobby hunters?
that foxes usually end up in the trash after being pointlessly hunted?
that foxes are hunted today primarily so that there are more hares, etc. for hobby hunters’ frying pans? That the fox, however, feeds on hares in fewer than 10% of cases and would never catch a healthy hare?
that in animal protection, one cannot oppose hobby hunters with gentleness alone, street festivals, prayer chains, etc. (desperate times call for desperate measures)?
that hobby hunters use hunters' tall tales to engage in a disrespectful mockery of living beings?
that it is frowned upon to shoot big game at feeding stations or during mating season, yet hobby hunters have no scruples about doing exactly this to their prey competitor, the fox?
that in some cantons hobby hunters go hunting solely for the sake of the tender meat of a young animal?
that hobby hunters shoot pregnant mother animals 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 cultural heritage in a civilised society?
that hobby hunters shoot approximately 10’000 roe deer fawns every year?
that hobby hunters in harsh winters lure starving animals with food only to shoot them in a treacherous and cowardly manner?
that hobby hunters drive attack-trained dogs into burrows to eliminate foxes and badgers (earth hunting)?
that hobby hunters lure peaceful living beings into cage traps, where they may suffer for days awaiting their killer, or inflict an often hours-long death struggle upon the animals (trap hunting)?
that hobby hunters cowardly ambush and kill or wound 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 culture, trophy shows, fur trade, and so on?
that hobby hunters place firearms into 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 severely wound wild animals, leaving the victims to suffer for hours in enormous pain and fear until a tracking dog finds them and they are shot?
that hobby hunters (aside from vivisection) inflict the greatest suffering and abuse upon animals, including through their methods of killing?
that the so-called love of animals and nature among hunters is not driven by joy in the existence of the beloved subject, but rather aims to possess the beloved creature body and soul, culminating in making it prey through the act of killing?
that hobby hunters actively promote browsing damage through hunting pressure, particularly on predators such as fox, lynx and wolf?
that hobby hunters are responsible for antisocial, unethical and open the door to unchristian behavior?
that hobby hunters withhold normal, natural animal observations and interactions from the public?
that there is no larger torture product more contaminated with ammunition residue than game meat?
that there is no uniform national regulation in Switzerland regarding vision tests, shooting practice, etc. for hobby hunters?
that there is no psychological character assessment for hobby hunters?
that there is no alcohol ban for hobby hunters when they shoot at animals with their weapons?
that hobby hunters intrude into educational institutions to push their hunters' tall tales and their culture of violence onto children?
that a court in Bellinzona recently confirmed that hunting associations promote practically everything that is cruel, unnecessary and heartless?
that the association «Jagd Schweiz» cultivates above all disrespect and a culture of violence – precisely the opposite of what a civilized person in our society should aspire to.
that in the canton of Grisons alone, more than 1‘1000 reports and fines are issued against hobby hunters every year?

Interest Group Wild beim Wild

The IG Wild beim Wild is a non-profit interest group committed to the sustainable and non-violent improvement of the human-animal relationship, with a particular specialization in the legal aspects of wildlife protection. One of our main concerns is to introduce a contemporary and rigorous wildlife management system in the cultural landscape, modeled on the canton of Geneva – without hobby hunters, but with wildlife wardens of integrity who truly deserve the title and act in accordance with a code of honor. The monopoly on the use of force belongs in the hands of the state. The IG supports scientific methods of immunocontraception for wildlife.

More on the topic of hobby hunting: In our dossier on hunting we compile fact checks, analyses and background reports.