A legal victory for badgers in Saône-et-Loire. Our fight continues!
On 15 March 2022, the Dijon Administrative Tribunal cancelled the order of 11 May 2020 which authorised an additional period of badger digging in Saône-et-Loire.
The Dijon Administrative Court has just, on 15 March, annulled the decree of 11 May 2020 in which the Saône-et-Loire Prefect had decided on opening an additional period for underground badger hunting with hounds from 15 May to 14 September 2020. The digging out of between 600 and 900 badgers who were massacred two years ago was therefore illegal! It is a victory, indisputably on a legal level, but also for the animals; these diggers got their fill of adrenaline and blood… as always when there is no emergency suspension. This decision strengthens our motivation to continue the fight.
The Dijon Administrative Tribunal treated the plea differently to the League for the Protection of Birds [Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux], the Saône-et-Loire Departmental Committee for the Protection of Nature [Comité départemental de protection de la nature] and us for the same decision. The Departmental Federation of Hunters [Fédération départementale des chasseurs] faced us, hand in hand with the department’s prefecture.
A ban on killing young approved!
The stupidity of the decree had been decided on for two reasons: an inadequate cover note and therefore a decree issued under an irregular procedure, but equally — and this is the first time that this has happened to our knowledge — because the tribunal took our argument that the ‘young’ should not be ‘destroyed’ into account. Perhaps because the Prefect himself admitted that the young had been ‘taken’ in previous years… but the judge also took into account scientific studies that we provided which confirm that the young are present in the setts well after 15 May. He also (almost) admitted that the term ‘young’ does not only refer to un-weaned young, but also to dependent minors (weaned but not self-sufficient). A truly great step forward.
Other decrees against badgers are in the hands of several prefects…
Alongside this long-term fight, we continue to defend badgers in other departments. In fact, the decrees increase every year in the spring, and we refuse to leave the hunters to lay down their laws with total impunity. Digging out is absolutely horrific (as we showed suitably in our infiltration investigation), as it destroys forests and massacres totally harmless animals, all which have their place in the ecosystem and representing richness in biodiversity.
In the last few weeks, we have therefore taken part in many public consultations, particularly to oppose the decrees proposed by Loiret (now closed to the public) and by Haute-Vienne (which expires on 27 March), planning to authorise an additional period of underground badger hunting with hounds from 15 May 2022. You too can take part.
And equally for Saône-et-Loire, where the Prefect did not even wait for the outcome of the appeal to submit a new decree proposal absolutely identical to this one, in which it is written that 36% of animals dug out are badgers. The consultation is still underway (until 24 March). We have a list of arguments at your disposition, but be careful to always rephrase them in your own words!
Translated from the French by Joely Justice