From the Alps to the Pyrenees, One Voice defends mountain galliformes in court
This autumn, we once again filed pleas against texts planning to kill grey mountain partridges, rock ptarmigan, black grouses and rock partridges in the Alps and Pyrenees. Already victims of habitat loss and the dramatic collapse of their populations, they must now flee from bullets. To stop their massacre, we will be at the administrative courts of Toulouse, Pau, Marseille and Montpellier from October 7 to 22.
In recent years, we have worked tirelessly to defend mountain galliformes, fighting back whenever they were in danger. Taking refuge in the heights, these birds, who aspire only to live in peace, suffer the full force of the consequences of human activities on their environment. With rising temperatures linked to global warming, urbanization of natural areas, tourism and intensive pastoralism, which deprives the chicks of the grass they need to feed, their habitat is shrinking by the day. To the point where they are classified as “near-threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
State complicity in a deadly hobby
Yet a handful of individuals persist in their desire to kill them. Why should they give up when they enjoy the support of public authorities who will stop at nothing to satisfy them? In 2023, the Pyrénées-Orientales administration had requested the elimination of 10 grey mountain partridges per hunter per year, without even waiting for the results of the summer counts. And they dare to talk about regulation! Not fooled, we took the matter to court, which ruled in our favor, thus saving the targeted animals!
Yet again this year, the Ariège prefecture has ordered the slaughter of no less than 670 grey partridges and 10 rock ptarmigan… based solely on studies carried out by the hunting federation. In total, 2,249 birds are targeted by the three prefectures we are attacking on the Spanish border, and a further 242 are endangered in the Hautes-Alpes region. Following on from our latest actions in the Alps, we have filed pleas in each of these territories.
On October 7 at 2.30pm, we’ll be at the Toulouse administrative court to examine the Ariège region decree. Then, on October 10 at 2pm, the judges at the administrative court in Pau will rule on the Hautes-Pyrénées region case. On October 15 at 2pm, we will defend the black grouses and rock partridges targeted in the Hautes-Alpes region at the Marseille administrative court. Finally, the Montpellier court will examine our plea against the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture on October 22 at 2.30pm.