Underground hunting with hounds in summer: five new victories for badgers!

Underground hunting with hounds in summer: five new victories for badgers!
12.07.2023
France
Underground hunting with hounds in summer: five new victories for badgers!
Wildlife

This summer, diggers in Aisne, Ille-et-Vilaine, Savoie, Haute-Loire, and Loir-et-Cher (as well as all the other departments) have to find something to do instead of torturing animals. These victories pave the way more than ever for an end to digging out in the spring and summer, in addition to those authorised during the remainder of the year. And the fight is far from being over: hearings are already set in the days to come in the Corrèze, Cantal, Allier and Seine-et-Marne, Maine-et-Loire, and Creuse Departments.

This year, we have decided to position ourselves as a force to be reckoned with in the fight against underground hunting with hounds, filing emergency interim suspension hearings either alone and anywhere where decrees start additional periods between 15 May and 1 July, or by joining forces with our partners*.

An unprecedented success for badger cubs and their parents

3500: that is the number of badgers that our legal action has currently allowed to be spared, in 19 out of 24 departments. Each victory is more satisfying than the last when we know the cruelty of this hobby that our infiltration investigation has shown fully and the difficulty in convincing jurisdictions despite this practice being rejected by more than 4 in 5 French people (Ipsos/One Voice survey, October 2022).

In the five departments where we have just won, hundreds of badger families would have been wiped out following long hours of being hunted. Female badgers and their young killed at point-blank range, after having tried in vain to flee to the depths of their setts, their refuge that they took months to build and which hunters would destroy in a few hours.

In Loir-et-Cher, the Orléans Administrative Tribunal has once again swept away the arguments conjured up by the Prefecture. A relief largely shared by local elected representatives invested with us and in this fight such as the Town Mayor, Catherine Le Troquier. 150 to 200 individuals spared! To which we can add the 250 to 300 in Ille-et-Vilaine, 150 in Aisne, and several dozen in Haute-Loire….

Victories that do not spell the end of the fight

Faced with our determination, several departments have chosen to abandon their draft decrees. In Savoie, after a dismal failure (it only took a few hours for the urgent applications judge to render their decision!), the State Representative simply decided not to authorise underground hunting with hounds from 1 July, as he had been about to do! In Vienne, our victory also forced the Prefecture to back down.

In the weeks to come, the following hearings are scheduled: 17 July at the Limoges Administrative Tribunal (for Corrèze), 18 July in Clermont-Ferrand (for Allier and Cantal), on 25 July in Melun (for Seine-et-Marne), on 27 July in Nantes (for Maine-et-Loire), and on 1 August in Dijon (for Creuse).

The prefects will always find us in their way to defend badgers. More than ever, we need your help to give them a voice. Sign our petitions for a radical reform of hunting, for a ban on underground badger hunting with hounds, and to change their image!

Support our fight for badgers

*One Voice’s partner associations for the hearings mentioned: Allier: Animal Cross, AVES, FNE 03, FNE AURA, LPO AURA; Aisne, Creuse, Ille-et-Vilaine, Maine-et-Loire, and Seine-et-Marne: AVES; Cantal: Animal Cross, AVES, FNE 15, FNE AURA, LPO AURA; Haute-Loire: AVES, FNE 43, FNE AURA, LPO AURA; Savoie: Animal Cross, FNE 73, LPO AURA.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

A wolf hit by a train in Drôme

A wolf hit by a train in Drôme
11.07.2023
Drôme
A wolf hit by a train in Drôme
Wildlife

A wolf was found dead on Monday 3 July in the morning, on the edge of the railway tracks in Crozes-Hermitage in Drôme. In France, wolves are faced with multiple threats: slaughtered by shots – even though they belong to a protected species -, poaching, and also road accidents.

According to the autopsy, it was an adult male weighing 32kg, deceased following a collision with a train. However, on photos circulating on social media, the body of the poor creature seemed to be in a relatively good state after such an impact…

Dozens of wolves victims of collisions every year

Since the start of 2023, at least five of them have died in this way: in Seine-et-Marne on 11 January, two days later in the Calanques National Park, on 17 January near Grande-Motte, and on 22 March in Loire. Then at the beginning of July, this new victim was mowed down by a train.

Another, knocked down in January, survived the impact, but was never found. Most certainly injured, it is likely that it died due to its injuries…

Since these are accidents, drivers are not at risk. It is therefore easy for some of those who dislike wolves to pretend that the collisions are by chance when in reality they are deliberately trying to get rid of wolves with their vehicles… This is what happened a few months ago in Haute-Savoie, when a driver tried to run one of them over. Video recordings fortunately allowed those implicated to be found and they will be judged at a trial in the coming months, at which we will be a civil party in the wolf’s memory.

Hide these wolves out of sight

Even though the lupine population is in decline, as revealed by the count by the French Office for Biodiversity a few days ago, the State continues to slaughter them without even taking into consideration those who die from accidents caused by humans. Worse, the administration responsible for monitoring these slaughters has even decided to no longer disclose the annual number of wolves found dead by accidental, natural, or undetermined causes.

Up until 2019, this data was communicated by the DREAL [Regional Directorate for Environment, Development, and Housing] in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. In 2018 and 2019, 27 and 20 wolves respectively were found dead in these conditions. These figures are now glossed over. In fact, when we know that the quota of individuals to be slaughtered increases year on year, it is better to try to reduce their responsibility for this massacre by trying to make people forget that wolves die from many other causes as well.

Join us in our fight: sign our petition to say stop persecuting wolves!

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Hunting: a weapon of mass pollution

Hunting: a weapon of mass pollution
07.07.2023
France
Hunting: a weapon of mass pollution
Wildlife

A few months ago, the Fédération nationale des chasseurs (FNC) [National Federation of Hunters] was condemned for having presented its members as the “first ecologists in France” (which the French have never believed!). And we understand why: this hobby leads not only to the death of more than 25 million animals every year, but, the cherry on the cake, it pollutes the earth by depositing 6000 to 8000 tonnes of lead. This ammunition left in nature is an instant danger to the environment, animals, and humans, the dramatic consequences of which are already being seen. In Ain, One Voice found out from the Prefecture that lead shots replaced with steel ammunition in a clay-pigeon shoot had been organised in a wetland last weekend. But with checks being rare, we have no illusions about the changed course of this, knowing that this annual polluting festivity has taken place for more than twenty years on the same land.

From hunting to clay-pigeon shooting: a short guide on polluting activities by hunters in France

Sometimes – or dare we say often? -, hunters miss their targets. Thousands of lead bullets are therefore spread throughout the earth and water courses, making them potentially infertile and toxic, in particular for us humans. When animals feed on them, they are almost certain to die: a duck that ingests four small balls of this dense metal has a 99% chance of dying in the next twenty days. Other times, animals are affected without being killed. They have to live with shots throughout their bodies causing illnesses and infections – a body which will then be ingested by their natural predators, such as lynx, which are protected. One animal at a time, this heavy metal, a true poison, gains ground.

And it does not stop there: outside of the season, they have to be careful! There is still one activity left: clay-pigeon shooting. Shooting at a clay disk is undoubtedly less amusing than shooting at an animal. But it is “better than nothing”. This very lucrative activity in itself leads to 1,500 tonnes of lead being dispersed in nature every year.

An event in Ain that has been harmful for the environment for two decades

In Ain, the Douvres Hunting Society has been organising an annual clay-pigeon shoot in close proximity to a water course for at least twenty years. In other words, for all these years, the earth and groundwater tables have been riddled with this heavy metal… Also in this region in 2014, it was revealed in the autopsy of a lynx cadaver that it was suffering from lead poisoning because its body had more than 120 bullets in it. Having been alerted to the event taking place on the weekend of 1 July, we immediately contacted the Prefecture, who told us they got hunters to only use steel ammunition. Hard to believe, when we know that the guns used for clay-pigeon shooting are not adapted for this type of cartridge.

Beyond the pollution, this event should never have taken place. In fact, the Ain Prefect herself banned the carrying and transportation of weapons in the Department between 30 June and 3 July due to national current events. Despite this, these Sunday shooters have been able to indulge in their hobby without any disturbance!

Who knows, perhaps hunters were able to convince her that it was absolutely essential to “regulate” the clay discs…

General rallying against the ravages of hunting on nature

Of course, since February 2023, the use of cartridges is banned in close proximity to wetlands. But this measure is largely insufficient. With the European Environment Bureau, a coalition that One Voice is a member of, we are asking the European Commission to go further with the restrictions on lead in ammunition and fishing accessories. Because fish are also as important as mammals. The very survival of millions of animals and protecting human health is at stake!

As usual, hunters will do everything they can not to have to follow the rules. In January 2023, environmental police officers had apparently received no instructions on implementing checks^[1]. The law? A tiny detail when it comes to pleasing a small minority who want to kill yet more animals. And they don’t stop there! Willy Schraen (FNC President) went so far as to ask for financial support from the State so that his members could replace their guns at taxpayers’ expense. The indecency clearly has no limit.

While the effects of massive soil pollution are already being felt by biodiversity and human health, it is about time we act. More than ever, it is about supporting the interests of animals, humans, and nature with one voice. Standing bravely with our partners, we will continue working to protect life on earth, for which whistle-blowers and conservationists are too often targeted. For them, for us, nothing will stop us. On 12 July at the European Parliament, we will call on Members of the European Parliament to pass the European Law on the restoration of nature.

^[1] Source: chassons.com site, « Plomb interdit à la chasse: Vers un possible report? » [Lead banned in hunting: for a possible adjournment?] article of 4 January 2023: “Indeed, for the time being, no agent from the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) has received clear instructions on the implementation of checks on the use of ammunition for which they will be responsible.”

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

The Wolf Plan: a planned failure

The Wolf Plan: a planned failure
05.07.2023
France
The Wolf Plan: a planned failure
Wildlife

Following the announcement of the decrease in the number of wolves in France, the presentation of the new National Action Plan 2024-2029 on wolves and farming activities (commonly known as the ‘Wolf Plan’) that was initially scheduled for 3 July has been postponed… Is the State realising that not only do wolves not ‘proliferate’, contrary to what farmers, hunters, and some elected representatives try to make us believe (incidentally in total contradiction with wolves’ biology, who only reproduce once a year and whose cubs’ survival rate is around 60%), but that this strategy for slaughtering animals classified as vulnerable is contrary to the protected species status that they have been given?

While the completion date for the 2018-2023 plan is near, the first observations that can be taken from it are alarming on all levels: a decrease in the number of wolves but an increase in attacks on farms. This proves that fatal shots are not effective – and even counter productive, as we have highlighted several times over – and that the emphasis must be put onto protection measures, particularly for bovine herds who benefit from an inexplicable exemption. The problem of straying dogs must incidentally be looked at seriously.

The State has more and more wolves slaughtered then is surprised that their population decreases

Although there has still not yet been any official communication from the State relaying information, farmers’ unions had already been aware for several days and were rebelling: the number of wolves making it out of the 2022-2023 winter had decreased. 906 were counted, which is 15 less than the year before at the same time.

While this should delight those who dislike them, here they are – what a surprise – contesting the count, which according to them is below the reality. The figures are only exact when this works in favour of their misleading and harmful communication.

If it did not involve the death of several dozen wolves each year, the situation would almost be laughable. The State, who each year increase the quota to be slaughtered (going from 51 in 2018 to 174 for 2023!), finds themselves very embarrassed now that they have realised that killing more and more individuals puts the survival of the entire species in danger, even though it still has not reached the minimum threshold of wolves needed for it to be viable. However, in 2020, we warned the government that their population’s growth had slowed in France.

Presentation of the Wolf Plan delayed

The lack of a reaction from the administration and policies on the subject certainly indicate some embarrassment from the government, who have given in to pressure from the agricultural lobby leading this dance.

Caught up in this news that was unveiled a few days before the presentation of the main priorities of the 2024-2029 plan, those deciding have finally agreed to postpone the communication until 4 September. But still no official statement: the information was found in various agricultural media, whose lobby has access to the government…

It is easy to deduce from this report that the announcements to be made on 3 July will certainly compromise wolves’ survival even more, by relaxing conditions for shooting or authorising the slaughter of an even larger number of them. We therefore imagine that the outline will be reviewed urgently to try to justify as far as possible the fatal shots on a protected species that is in decline, and which, furthermore, has been wiped out in France once already.

Until then, and as long as these lethal shots are happening, we will continue to ensure that minimum conditions for authorising exemptions are met. We systematically condemn this abuse and slaughtering. We will never stop. Sign our petition to call for the end of wolves’ persecution.

Translated from the French by Joely Justice

Instructions for public consultation on species likely to cause damage: how to oppose the ministerial draft decree in concrete terms

Instructions for public consultation on species likely to cause damage: how to oppose the ministerial draft decree in concrete terms
22.06.2023
Instructions for public consultation on species likely to cause damage: how to oppose the ministerial draft decree in concrete terms
Wildlife

From 15 June to 6 July, citizens are invited to give their opinion on the ministerial draft decree that will set which animals are considered as ‘species likely to cause damage’ and are victims of merciless hunting year-long for the next three years. A cruel list with no foundation – since the so-called damage is declarative and either little or badly verified – which we are helping you to oppose along with us.

Updated every three years, the law setting the periods for and ways of killing animals classified as species likely to cause damage must in principle respond to specific requirements. It should also, whether protecting public health and safety or flora and fauna, prevent significant damage to agricultural, forestry, and aquacultural activities or any other kind of property. These claims, which we have particularly seen when coming to the aid of crows and ravens in Jura, are rarely implemented precisely by prefectures, which seem much quicker to please hunters than to be demanding on the reality of the problems that they put forward… Fortunately, there are many arguments to defend these blindly condemned animals against these destructive desires.

In the public consultation, you will find the draft decree, which specifies the animals targeted in each department in the appendix. Just below the link to download this decree, you can “leave a comment”. You can decide, for example, only to express yourself regarding animals in the department you live in, which will give weight to your participation.

Below we have given you some information to express your opposition to this classification. Of course, we believe that all animals have an intrinsic value that must not be compared with any human interests. But we are obliged to adapt our argument to the situation, at the risk of not being heard. Note: any copy and pasting will not be taken into account and it is therefore essential that you reformulate the arguments that you choose into your own words.

Animals are necessary for biodiversity

Not only do the individuals that the authorities want to hunt down have intrinsic value, but they are also intelligent and capable of experiencing suffering, as well as being essential to the environment, which the draft decree absolutely does not take into account, choosing to forget about their positive impact which is not insignificant.

By contributing to the regulation of the number of small rodents, foxes do us a lot more of a service than you may think. Simply by being present, they limit the movement of mice and other small rodents, which, by remaining at the entrance to their burrows, are less of a risk of transmitting Lyme disease to humans. But foxes are also beneficial to crops. By reducing the number of voles, they contain the damage caused in fields and thus the use of pesticides, which are harmful to ecosystems.

Rooks, carrion crows, Eurasian jays, and Eurasian magpies promote the dispersal of the grains that they eat and maintain the wild flora. Eurasian jays and Eurasian magpies even play a central role in forest renewal by supporting the development of oak and pine trees, while rooks and carrion crows protect crops from certain destructive insects whose larvae they eat.

Unnecessary or even counter productive measures

Many scientists agree in saying that mass slaughtering, which we will never accept no matter what the reason may be, does nothing to protect human interests.

We know that killing foxes to try to protect against diseases that are transmissible to humans and breeding animals to be sent to the abattoir is completely delusional. We can cite the Luxembourg case, which took foxes off the list of huntable species in 2015 and saw the number of cases of alveolar echinococcosis go from 40% down to 25% according to biologist Frédéric Jiguet. Weasels, martens, and stone martens have no chance of transmitting diseases to humans.

Birds classified as species likely to cause damage, in particular rooks, carrion crows, and starlings, are very intelligent and capable of implementing reproduction or emigration strategies to compensate for the loss of individuals that succumb. Suffice to say that the only ones to benefit from their death are those who take pleasure in slaughtering them with guns…

Along with us, ask for these animals to be taken off the list of species likely to cause damage and for the implementation of true alternative solutions to protect agricultural and other types of exploitation. If you are unable to post your comment on the Ministry’s site, as many people have reported to us, almost certainly due to the page being overcrowded, we recommend that you register to post it later. We are counting on you!

Participate in the public consultation

In concrete terms

GENERALLY:

• animals are sensitive and sentient beings;
• the positive impact of these animals, just as good for ecosystems as they are for human activity, is absolutely not taken into consideration by the draft decree submitted for consultation;
• it is not shown that the regulation of these species’ populations has a positive impact on protected interests by classifying them as species likely to cause damage: on the contrary, the assessment is negative or even counter productive;
• damage can be avoided by implementing true alternative solutions, such as filling in open holes in fences and coops, or combining several scaring methods in fields;
• compilations of damage rely on a uniquely declarative biased model (declarations come from farmers and are often collected by hunters or trappers) which is not subject to any checks by the State.

THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THESE SPECIES:

Foxes and small carnivorous mammals:

• weasels, martens and stone martens: they contribute to the regulation of the number of small rodents that destroy crops – voles in particular – and must be considered as allies rather than enemies;
• They curb the spread of Lyme disease: when there are predators, small rodents, who are vectors for the transmission of the disease, move less and stay closer to their burrows, thus lowering the risk of transmitting the disease.
• weasels, martens and stone martens and public safety/health: weasels, martens, and stone martens do not pose a risk for human health given that these species are unlikely to transmit diseases/bacteria that they harbour to human beings.
• foxes and public safety/health: specialists of this species who are interested in the issue of zoonotic diseases agree that slaughtering foxes due to the diseases that they could transmit to humans and to farm animals is scientifically unjustified. As shown by the Luxembourg case, following foxes being taken off the list of huntable species in 2015, it saw the number of cases of echinococcosis contaminations go from 40% down to 25% according to biologist Frédéric Jiguet.

Finally, particular emphasis should be placed on foxes’ role in regulating small rodents due to the majority (almost exclusively in some cases) of their diet being made up of voles whose ‘proliferations’ are often seen. Sparing the lives of foxes also avoids having to battle with chemicals to combat voles in fields.

Birds: 4 corvids and common starlings:

The regulation of birds classified as species likely to cause damage is portrayed by many scientists as unnecessary or even counter productive. It is currently accepted that some species (in particular rooks, carrion crows, starlings) compensate for the losses in their populations linked to regulation with reproduction or emigration strategies.

• corvids: rooks, carrion crows, Eurasian jays, and Eurasian magpies: corvids’ diets are mainly composed of grains. Thus, they play a fundamental role in grain dispersion of wild flora.
• rooks and carrion crows: they play the role of ‘cleaner’ for dead animals (or those too weak or sick to survive in the wild) and also have a beneficial role for insects that destroy crops as they eat their larvae.
• Eurasian jays and Eurasian magpies: these two species play a key role in the natural renewal of forests, since they have an impact on the dissemination and development of oak and pine trees.

Participate in the public consultation

Translated from the French by Joely Justice