Why hobby hunting does not protect the population but endangers it

That sounds responsible.

But modern science paints a different picture. In several respects, this protection argument turns into its opposite. Anyone who genuinely wants to protect the public must preserve the predators rather than kill them.

1. Ticks: those who kill foxes breed the risk of Lyme disease

Foxes eat thousands of mice every year, and it is precisely these rodents that are the most important hosts for ticks. A study by the Dutch biologist Tim Hofmeester showed that where many predators live, significantly fewer ticks carry the Lyme disease pathogen, because mice hide more often and are less frequently infested by tick larvae. So where the fox disappears, not only does the mouse population rise, but so does the risk of infection for humans. As a reminder: according to the Federal Office of Public Health, an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 people in Switzerland contract Lyme disease every year. More on this in the article «Foxes as allies in the fight against Lyme disease Foxes as allies in the fight against Lyme disease».

2. Fox tapeworm: hunting spreads what it supposedly combats

The strongest example is provided by a four-year study around the French city of Nancy. Despite hunting pressure increased by 35 per cent and 776 foxes killed, the population did not shrink, and fox tapeworm prevalence rose from 40 to 55 per cent, while it remained stable in the control area. The reason: young foxes, which excrete particularly large numbers of tapeworm eggs, move into the emptied hunting grounds. Hobby hunting therefore aggravates precisely the danger it claims to avert. Details in the «Fact check on the fox tapeworm Fact check on the fox tapeworm».

3. Lead in game meat: hunting poisons the food chain

While the hobby hunting lobby warns of parasites, it itself introduces a highly toxic heavy metal into our food. Lead-based projectiles disintegrate on impact, with the finest fragments penetrating deep into the meat, where they are barely detectable. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment counts wild boar, roe deer and red deer among the foods most heavily contaminated with lead. There is no safe dose of lead. The authorities' recommendation is correspondingly clear: children, pregnant women and women of childbearing age should not eat game killed with lead ammunition. Those particularly affected are, of all people, frequent consumers, namely hobby hunters and their families.

4. The regulation myth: killing does not reduce populations

The supposed central argument of hobby hunting has been biologically disproven. Heavily hunted fox populations compensate for losses through higher birth rates and immigration. A long-term French study shows that intensive hunting tends to cause the population to rise and increases the risk of infection by around 15 per cent. Whoever shoots ultimately harvests more foxes, not fewer. «Regulation» is thus a self-perpetuating cycle.

5. It can also be done without bloodshed, and more effectively at that

That public health protection works without a rifle has long been proven. Terrestrial rabies was defeated with vaccine baits, and Switzerland has been considered free of it for decades. Deworming baits are effective against the fox tapeworm: in treated areas, prevalence in spring fell from 13.3 to 2.2 per cent. And the most effective control of mice and ticks is provided by the fox itself, free of charge and around the clock.

Conclusion

The protection promise of hobby hunting falls apart at every single link. It does not reduce populations, it increases tapeworm infestation, it promotes ticks and Lyme disease, and it brings lead into our food. Population protection looks different. It means: protecting predators, relying on proven bloodless methods and ending hobby hunting where it does more harm than good. More on our demands in the dossier on hunting criticism and on the hunting act.

Sources

• Comte, S., Umhang, G., Raton, V., Raoul, F., Giraudoux, P., Combes, B., Boué, F. (2017): Echinococcus multilocularis management by fox culling: an inappropriate paradigm. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 147, 178 to 185. View study
• Hofmeester, T. R., Jansen, P. A., Wijnen, H. J., Coipan, E. C., Fonville, M., Prins, H. H. T., Sprong, H., van Wieren, S. E. (2017): Cascading effects of predator activity on tick-borne disease risk. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 284: 20170453. View study
• German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Lead contamination of game meat from the use of lead ammunition in hunting. View statement