In the Territoire de Belfort region, a chamois is hunted down for expressing his natural behaviour
On 20 November 2024, the prefect of the Territoire de Belfort region authorised huntsmasters to take action throughout the department to kill a chamois. The reason? They allegedly posed a significant risk to public safety and livestock… As always, there was not a shred of evidence to support this claim. Rather than considering alternative solutions, and under the eternal influence of hunters, the authorities once again chose force. We are filing a request for annulment with the Administrative Court in Besançon.
A chamois is being hunted day and night in the Belfort region. The justification? He is said to be behaving “abnormally” and “aggressively”.
A chamois accused of being… a chamois
Two statements from sheep owners —to which we have gained access— without any evidence, as usual: this was enough for the prefecture to organise the hunt for a chamois, first in one municipality, then throughout the department. The animal is singled out for his “abnormal” behaviour. Once again, the state services are demonstrating their ignorance of the lives of free-roaming animals: in the middle of the rutting season, this behaviour is perfectly natural.
Worse still, the text highlights the fear of a risk to traffic and claims that the chamois is “aggressive” towards humans. What nonsense! Knowing that even some elected officials poach them, the question has to be: who is attacking whom? This individual is a victim of misinformation about nature and its inhabitants, like all animals constantly targeted by officially sanctioned hunts.
Death as the only solution, nothing has changed!
Hunted down by hunters under false accusations in the Doubs region, targeted throughout the Belfort region… the chamois are being subjected to a veritable manhunt.
Yet there are alternatives to killing them, for instance moving or protecting the herds… Although the prefecture did consider relocating the chamois, it quickly backed down under the pressure of the hunting federation. Even though the chamois and his companions are already being hunted from September to the end of January, he is the victim of a hateful persecution.
For him and for all the other chamois, One Voice is asking the Administrative Court in Besançon to overturn this insane order. To put an end to the authorities’ absurd management of wildlife, sign our petition for a radical reform of hunting.