Regarding our recent post on the ‘Fox Week’ in Germany:
the message from our German animal campaigner friend finshed with the statement:
“On 20th of January we expect the decision on “forced hunting” (where hunters have the right to hunt animals on private ground) from the European Court of Justice. If that comes out in favour of our cause – which we hope – then that will be another coffin nail for the hunters and also work as a boost to our campaign”.
Well the decision has now been made by the European Court of Justice, and it has NOT found in favour of our cause.
The court’s decision for forced hunting was supplemented with a justification, and it said that the continuation of the practice is in the public interest and that hunting was necessary to protect the game stocks.
This is an Intersting twist on reality.
Going by that stated logic, and transferring it to us mere humans, any serial killer or masse murderer for that matter, would be the greatest friend of mankind we ever head. Because, in the end, by doing their killings of other humans, they, (the killer) protected the Human population. Is it in the public interest to have the continuation of human masse killings by serial killers to protect the human species ? – No.
Simply one rule for the hunters and a different rule for everyone else.
Another more interesting point about the whole thing is that this very same court ruled against forced hunting in France and Luxemberg in 1999, saying that nobody could be forced to tolerate that on their private ground.
How the rules change in ten years by the very same court !
Well, the complainant (a guy from the Stuttgart area) will now go on to put his case again before the big chamber of the court; (the ruling from yesterday being by the small chamber), and we shall see with a great deal of interest what happens here.
Many people think the court decided the way it did because of pressure from the German sylviculture and the lobby behind it. The economic value (timber prices) of German forests is high, and they are tightly managed. Game they say, causes damage to the stock, and in many areas is seen as nothing more than ‘vermin’ that the hunters are more than, even incredibly happy, to get rid of.
Hunters are also aiming at having the (German) countys and local authorities establish bans for strollers and others wanting to use the forests for recreation. Clearly, they do not want witnesses to what they do and argue that ‘all these people disturb the game’.
Really, is it not them who disturb the animals ? – destroying the natural reproduction cycles of animals which is based around the availability of food. Do the hunters not put out food baits to lure their targets into the area so that they can then be shot by hunters standing high up on platforms ?
If this is not the hunting community ‘disturbing the game’, then what is ?
The hunters have currently achieved their will simply because of their connections to politics and local administrations – many hunters hold positions in these positions of power anyway.
Below is the link which provides the entire text of the court ruling on forced hunting from the 20th January.
You can read it and make your own decisions and opinions on the hunting issue:
Whatever the current situation, the campaign to stop the continued year round killing of foxes in Germany will continue. Unfortunately, Fox Week during the next few weeks will see many, many more beautiful animals killed by hunters because of a ruling which declares that the ‘continuation of the practice is in the public interest’, that the wildlife ‘vermin’ destroy the now politically financially viable forests which the public must also be instructed to keep out of for recreational purposes !
Is the world and legislation going crazy in support of animal abusers and against the will of the majority of the public ?
– Well yes !
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering) | 1 Comment »
