Avian flu: a slew of exemptions for hunting endangered waterfowl

Avian flu: a slew of exemptions for hunting endangered waterfowl
31.12.2025
France
Avian flu: a slew of exemptions for hunting endangered waterfowl
Animaux sauvages

In the regions of Manche, Nord, Loire-Atlantique and Vendée, hunters have once again imposed their will. Despite a major avian flu epidemic currently raging, many prefects, who had banned waterfowl hunting for obvious health reasons, have reversed their decision. Under pressure from the hunting lobby, these bans have been lifted in the name of a supposed “consensus”, paving the way for the slaughter of animals already severely weakened by the disease. One Voice condemns these massacres and alerts public opinion to the significant health risks they pose.

Despite warnings, the hunting of endangered birds continues…

A few months ago, we appealed to the Council of State to suspend the hunting of endangered birds. While the scientific community is sounding the alarm about the very poor conservation status of the species concerned and the biodiversity slowly collapsing, the court rejected our request. In 2025, tens of thousands of pintails, shovelers, wigeons, redwings, corncrakes, teals, pochards and tufted ducks will be slaughtered in the name of a deadly pastime.

These repeated killings are all the more cruel because they rely on the use of “decoy” birds. Raised in captivity, they are exploited as live bait, tied up and deprived of their freedom of movement. The aim is simple for hunters: to make killing easier by tying them down on the water to attract their migrating counterparts.

… and in all circumstances

These animals, which are targeted for much of the year, could have been given a little respite as they face the avian flu epidemic which is already threatening their survival. We have already sounded the alarm about the consequences of hunting during this period and the risks of spreading the disease. Today, a major setback is occurring: new authorisations are being granted as a favour to trigger-happy fanatics.

In the Manche region, waterfowl hunting had been banned due to the epidemic. However, this did not take into account the hunting federations, who were prepared to do anything to allow their members to continue their hobby, despite the health risks… The prefecture gave in by reauthorising hunting in the epidemic surveillance zone. This phenomenon is being repeated in several other regions: Nord, Loire-Atlantique and Vendée… This is senseless for these birds, already weakened by disease, climate change and massive urbanisation.

Hunters placed on a pedestal

Hunting is permitted in wetlands and sensitive areas, but at what cost? This situation illustrates once again the preferential treatment given to hunters, who are systematically listened to and heard, with disregard for wild animals and pets, humans and nature, but also for the rules of common sense.

The parallel with the management of other diseases is striking. Alongside avian flu, bovine nodular dermatosis, for example, has led to the mass slaughter of many cows in recent weeks to contain the spread of the virus. On the one hand, farm animals are sacrificed without hesitation; on the other, demands from hunters continue to be accommodated. And in the middle are the animals, who continue to be the victims of the government’s inconsistent choices. Why is the suspension of activities not being prioritised? Hunting, which increases the risk of flu transmission, is clearly the least appropriate solution to a health crisis of this magnitude.

One Voice condemns these methods which are increasingly contemptuous of animals, and has written to the prefects of Loire-Atlantique, Nord, Manche and Vendée. Join us in sharing this article widely, calling on your elected representatives to reject these special privileges and signing our petitions against the hunting of endangered birds and hunting in general.

Wild boar heads abandoned like common rubbish along a stream in Seyches

Wild boar heads abandoned like common rubbish along a stream in Seyches
22.12.2025
Lot-et-Garonne
Wild boar heads abandoned like common rubbish along a stream in Seyches
Animaux sauvages

On 11 December, the mayor of Seyches (Lot-et-Garonne) observed dozens of wild boar heads abandoned along the banks of a stream and a road. One Voice condemns the intolerable violence inflicted on these animals. To defend them, we are filing a complaint.

Imagine coming across this macabre scene. Hunted down and killed without mercy, most likely by several hunters, these wild boars also had their remains horribly mutilated… before being thrown onto the ground near a house. This is yet another fine example of the respect for nature that rifle-toting hunters are constantly harping on about… Not only do these actions show complete disregard for animals, they also contravene European regulations which aim to combat health risks.

Recurring incidents

This is far from the first time we have had to deal with such disrespect for animals and nature. In December 2022, a wild boar’s head was left on a public bench in the town of Saint-Maurice-de-Cazevieille (Gard) in full view of everyone, including the village children. A few months later, in the Jura region, a huntmaster left the lifeless bodies of dozens of foxes to decompose on the banks of a river. Outraged, we immediately filed a complaint and secured his conviction.

Wild boars, the designated scapegoats

Wild boars know this contempt for animals only too well. Presented as “pests” that must be eliminated at all costs, they are the most hunted species in France. During the 2024-2025 hunting season, nearly 900,000 of them were killed in cold blood. This figure does not even include the killings carried out as part of hunts at the authorities’ initiative or under the regulation on species likely to cause damage (ESOD). This massacre, as cruel as it is absurd, does nothing to alleviate the damage complained of by farmers. Every year, trigger-happy hunters are called to the rescue, much to their delight… without ever solving the problem to which they themselves contribute greatly by breeding wild boars for their bloody leisure activity.

One Voice is filing a complaint about the wild boars killed in Seyches. Join your voice to ours by signing our petition for a radical reform of hunting.

Pure Salmon: stop the ecocidal salmon farm project in the Gironde estuary

Pure Salmon: stop the ecocidal salmon farm project in the Gironde estuary
17.12.2025
Gironde
Pure Salmon: stop the ecocidal salmon farm project in the Gironde estuary
Animaux sauvages

In the Médoc Natural Park at Verdon-sur-Mer, Pure Salmon plans to create Europe’s largest land-based salmon farm. Every year, 3 million fish –equivalent to 10,000 tonnes– would be farmed to die and be consumed. Behind a well-rehearsed discourse on “ecological sustainability” and innovation lies a project that is destructive to animals, the environment and natural resources. One Voice is firmly opposed to it. Join us now in the public consultation running until 19 January 2026 to say no to this project which fuels a model that is far from ethical.

An excessive project in the Gironde estuary

€275 million from Singaporean funds to destroy a sensitive wetland: this is Pure Salmon’s project which involves the construction of an intensive land-based fish farm in an ecosystem that is already fragile and seriously threatened by artificialisation. On an area of around 15 hectares, 10,000 tonnes of salmon would be “produced” each year using a ‘Recirculating Aquaculture System’ in closed tanks and in an ultra-intensive manner, throughout their –all too short– lives.

This model is being presented as more environmentally friendly. Like Local Ocean, it is a genuine attempt at greenwashing: in addition to being experimental, the system poses risks to the estuary’s ecosystem and fish. The consequences are inevitable and numerous: the release of bacteria and the resulting spread of disease, lasting changes to habitats, particularly through eutrophication, soil contamination and disruption to the biological balance of the estuary and local marine fauna. Not to mention the discharge of phosphorus, nitrogen and organic matter. The list is long, and the problems would be multiplied tenfold in the event of a system failure.

Water and electricity resources exploited to excess: not really eco-friendly

Pure Salmon overlooks the fact that mass fish “production” runs counter to resource conservation. Fish farming requires constant monitoring of water temperature to prevent the salmon from suffering heat stress, which requires as much electricity as a town of 40,000 inhabitants.

Added to this is the extraction of 270 m³ of water per hour, or 6,500 m³ per day, from brackish water aquifers –above freshwater aquifers– equivalent to 950 Olympic swimming pools each year… This would eventually lead to salt water infiltration into the freshwater reservoirs. This is food for thought, given the increasing number of heat waves each year.

10,000 tonnes of salmon per year… and 233 billion fish caught to feed them

Pure Salmon extolls the animal welfare in their plans to supply France with salmon. 10,000 tonnes of these animals–an estimated 3 million individuals– would be “produced” in conditions that raise questions. These formidable migrants would live in densities and conditions incompatible with their biological needs, and would be subject to high mortality risks that are not without impact on their wild counterparts.

All these sentient beings will need to be fed, but how? Farming ultimately leads to even more intensive fishing: just to produce the animal meal, 233 billion fish would need to be caught worldwide –mainly off the African coast– and nearly 436,000 tonnes of soya would need to be grown. While the government is falling behind, do we really need to fuel this mass consumption?

Say no to this ecological disaster and the suffering of salmon

One Voice is mobilising against this project and is ready to challenge the authorisations if they are signed by the prefect. Join us by taking part in the public consultation which is open until 19 January 2026: the more people who participate, the better our chances of getting it stopped!

Deer slaughtered in Morbihan: One Voice mobilises for the hearing on 19 December

Deer slaughtered in Morbihan: One Voice mobilises for the hearing on 19 December
11.12.2025
Morbihan
Deer slaughtered in Morbihan: One Voice mobilises for the hearing on 19 December
Animaux sauvages

On 19 November 2023, in Langonnet, several hunters engaged in a veritable bloodbath, slaughtering does and stags. Once again, they considered that their so-called right to kill should be unlimited. While millions of animals are slaughtered every year, for these men it is never enough: they knowingly violated the rules and covered up their offences to give free rein to their desire to kill. In response to these events, One Voice is bringing a civil action and will be present at the hearing on 19 December 2025 at 9am at the police court in Lorient.

Quotas manipulated to kill even more

Hunters are redoubling their efforts to kill even more. The proof was given in Langonnet where some of them deliberately broke the few rules that are supposed to regulate hunting. On 19 November 2023, they cold-bloodedly shot nine red deer stags and six does in a single day. This was despite the fact that only six animals were authorised to be shot for the rest of the 2023-2024 season – which is already far too many.

To cover up these illegal shootings, two does were declared as males, a tag was taken from a neighbouring territory, and hunting documents were falsified. Everything was orchestrated to conceal the reality and circumvent the rules, even though tens of thousands of deer are already killed by hunters each year.

These offences are all the more worrying given that, under pressure from the forestry industry – which tends to reduce nature to a mere “resource” –a recent report proposes to classify these animals as a species likely to cause damage (ESOD). This is an absurd logic that claims to protect forests, or rather the timber industry, while sacrificing those who are their emblematic inhabitants.

Hunting safety concerns, yet another case

As if the illegal killing of deer (and the accompanying fraud) were not enough, the most basic safety rules were ignored. There were no signs indicating that a hunt was taking place. From agricultural land accessible to the public, the hunters fired towards the bottom of a valley where a departmental road runs, without concern for the danger involved. And they did so with ammunition that has a range of several kilometres…

This shows a staggering, but sadly commonplace, irresponsibility. Every year, hunting accidents are on the rise, affecting domestic animals, walkers and local residents. Despite our repeated requests to the Government for effective protective measures, these incidents once again illustrate the urgent need to put an end to this deadly pastime.

For the deer that were killed, the penalties must be exemplary

Manipulating official data to kill more animals makes controls particularly difficult. The hunters face fines, up to five years’ withdrawal of their hunting licence, and safety training for those organising the hunt. For all these animals killed in the shadows, we are fighting for sentences that are commensurate with the illegalities observed.

We will be present at the hearing on 19 December 2025 at 9am at the police court in Lorient. Show your support by denouncing this deadly and cruel practice.

Hunting safety: at least four dead and seven injured in less than two months

Hunting safety: at least four dead and seven injured in less than two months
12.12.2025
France
Hunting safety: at least four dead and seven injured in less than two months
Animaux sauvages

Between 19 October and 6 November 2025, four hunters were killed while hunting, and at least seven other people were injured as a result of this cruel pastime. One Voice condemns these recurring accidents which add many more victims to the 45 million animals slaughtered each year. Hunting is a deadly practice that urgently needs to be reformed!

Hunter under the influence: dog hit by car, driver assaulted

Last October, a motorist was driving along a country road through the hamlet of Espanel when he hit a “hunting” dog that was crossing the road during a wild boar hunt. Probably stunned, the 60-year-old man was violently assaulted by the hunter. He was punched in the face, and his vehicle was damaged. He lost a tooth and his glasses in this senseless outburst of violence. Convicted a few months earlier for domestic violence, the attacker tested positive for cocaine and amphetamines after being taken into custody. It is to individuals like this, who are dangerous to both humans and other animals, that we issue a licence that is nothing short of a bad joke and the right to own a weapon…

Four hunters died while pursuing animals

Over a two-month period, two hunters drowned while persecuting animals, the first in a lake in Maudétour-en-Vexin (Val-d’Oise) into which his dog had ventured during a wild boar hunt, and the second in Travecy (Aisne) after falling from a boat while hunting ducks. A third man lost his life near Brue-Auriac (Var) after setting out alone in search of a wild boar wounded during a hunt, while a fourth reportedly fell to his death in La Morte (Isère) while attempting to retrieve the carcass of an animal he had just shot.

A walker, a runner and a child injured

When they are not injured, sometimes seriously, by the animals they hunt, as in the La Clapade area (Aveyron) or Saint-Nazaire-des-Gardies (Gard), or when they are not injuring each other, or even themselves, these trigger-happy individuals sometimes have the bright idea of involving children in their obsession, with no regard for their sensitivity or their lives, as in the case of a ten-year-old girl who was hospitalised for a day and a half after a deer hunt. However, you don’t have to be related to a hunter to be in danger: all citizens who simply want to enjoy nature are at risk! In November, a jogger was seriously injured by a bullet near Vaison-la-Romaine (Vaucluse). A few days later, it was the turn of a man walking in the Finistère countryside to be hit in the leg by a bullet fragment during a wild boar hunt. These numerous casualties would be easily avoidable if only hunters would give up their thirst for killing.

A systemic problem

These are the accidents that we have been able to identify in the press. How many others go unreported by the media? Hunting federations may well distance themselves from those responsible by placing all the blame on them, but we are not fooled. Every year, these armed men privatise nature for their own leisure, inevitably making it dangerous for all, to the point that the 2024-2025 season saw a record increase in the number of accidents and deaths, while tens of millions of animals continue to be slaughtered. This must stop.

Make your indignation heard by signing our petition for a radical reform of hunting!