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

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!