Tuesday 14 August 2018 | 98

Let's rally against the shooting of red foxes at night in Moselle


Mis à jour le 09 January 2019

In Moselle, the Prefect published a decree ordering the night shooting on red foxes. We have filed an appeal for excess of power. Let us defend them!

Hr blog

Indeed, we could believe that the red foxes’ bad reputation precedes them... But it subsists in the collective imagination relating to a bygone era! The fox is a useful scapegoat for the system in place that justifies and consents to the slaughter of wild animals all year long - or even the initiative - of public services!

The prefect of Moselle remains adamant ... against general opinion

Although several departments of France’s eastern regions - Aube, Meurthe-et-Moselle and the Ardennes - have renounced this year’s night massacres of foxes through a massive mobilisation, and despite the decision of the Administrative Court of Strasbourg who ruled the previous decree illegal, the Prefect of the Moselle remains adamant and issues a new decree which this time authorises the night shooting of the red foxes for 2 years over the whole department in order: "to protect the chicken coops" ... even though no numerical data supports the claim that they represent an actual threat! It has been done in forceful manner, totally anti-democratic, the citizens being almost unanimously opposed to the shots at night: the public consultation reported 372 out of 380 against the night shots on these small mammals! 98%! The list of responses to advisory opinions is uplifting. It is only lip-service and bypassing the main subject. A prefecture which circumvents the decisions of justice and opposes the opinion of the population ... Is this not a denial of democracy?

As for issues linked to foxes, they have been resolved for a long time (i.e. rabies), or had simple solutions not been applied despite common sense!The facts are there: they have a role to play in the ecosystem, without them, the whole thing is unbalanced. We cannot continue to hunt, dig up and kill these animals with impunity, all year long! Foxes are sentient beings and merely because of this, they should be protected. Since 2015, the Civil Code stipulates that animals are sentient beings, what is the use of having improved it if we are to maintain the same hunting practices towards them?

Foxes represent such a wealth, and have the right to live in peace in our forests (when our species does not know how to make the most of another animal species, most of the time, the latter is in danger of death)! They are intelligent and sensitive, and we continue to make them suffer martyrdom... The real reason for their hunting: the so called competition they represent to humans in view of the chicken farms (that are poorly protected), at the level of reared "game " which are released by the hunters themselves, as well as the pleasure of killing that hunting provides under the cover of the regulations ... The forest ecosystems could perfectly do without humans, by the way. The foxes and even the wolveswould have their place!

An abuse of power that must be denounced: Let’s rally!

While in recent years the population of foxes seems to be decreasing, these additional means of "destruction" appear disproportionate and dangerous for the inhabitants of our villages and can have serious consequences on the ecosystems given this small animal’s way of life. They are more than 500 000 that disappear every year, that's enough, it has to stop ! We file a lawsuit for abuse of power together with several of our partners in the Renard Grand Est Collectiveagainst this shameful prefectural decree!

Please sign our petition to warn everyone about the fate of red foxes in France!

Julia Mothé
Hr blog

In the subject

Public consultation: say no to scaring brown bears in the Pyrenees! Victory for sharks in La Réunion: the prefecture is putting a stop to them being fished in a protected zone

Comments 98

I accept that publication of my comments is subject to the code of conduct.

Laurie Mars | Wednesday 05 September 2018

Le renard n’est pas un nuisible. Soutien !

fara33 | Wednesday 05 September 2018

NON aux tirs de nuit sur les renards!

Martine | Tuesday 04 September 2018

Cet acharnement contre des "nuisibles" NON NUISIBLES est une honte ! Il n'est pas possible d'ignorer toutes les données scientifiques avérées prouvant que le renard est un animal utile à bien des points de vue et si je ne prends que la prédation des rongeurs et qui nous sauvent de bien des maux ce serait dejà suffisant pour arrêter cette traque malsaine qui va à l'encontre de nos propres intérets... Soyons respectueux de cette aide, si cela n'est pas trop demander... CONTRE LES TIRS DE NUIT SUR LES RENARDS MERCI

Anna28 | Tuesday 04 September 2018

Il est inadmissible de tirer ces animaux de nuit, je suis contre ce projet ! les renards ne sont en aucun cas nuisibles à la nature. Je suis personne qualifiée à la Commission Départementale de la Chasse et de la Faune sauvage, et je connais bien ce dossier concernant le renard. Les arguments avancés par le monde de la chasse ne peuvent être retenus scientifiquement et ne sont fondés sur rien de tangible !