Valais: 12 hobby hunters reported for poaching

In the canton of Valais, police have tracked down twelve poachers. They are between 14 and 38 years old and have been reported to the public prosecutor's office and the juvenile court. Between summer 2019 and winter 2020, they had killed 26 wild animals.

In groups of varying composition, the accused persons shot two stags, a roe deer fawn, two hinds, a young stag, eleven roe deer, six chamois and three hares in the Val d’Entremont, Val Ferret and the Gueuroz region. A poaching operation of this scale is rather rare, said a spokesperson for the Valais cantonal police.

How exactly the authorities tracked down the poachers was something the police spokesperson declined to reveal for investigative tactical reasons. The police cooperated with the cantonal office for hunting, fishing and wildlife management. During several house searches, officers seized trophies as well as several dozen kilograms of packaged meat. In addition, firearms, weapon accessories and ammunition were also confiscated.

Fine or suspended prison sentence

The accused are between 14 and 38 years old and all reside in the canton of Valais. They were reported to the public prosecutor's office and the juvenile court for violations of the hunting act, the weapons act and the animal protection act. The possible penalties range from fines and bans on hunting licences to suspended prison sentences.

In addition to the main suspects, who shot without a license and outside of hunting season, there may have been accomplices among them or someone who provided the freezer, said the police spokesperson. The penalties could therefore vary considerably. How proceedings would continue in individual cases was to be decided by the public prosecutor's office and the juvenile court.