Hunting, tradition and necessary regulations

Editorial of the “World”. The death of a 25-year-old hiker, victim of a hunting accident, Saturday, February 19, in Cantal, has revived the debate on the need for tougher regulations on hunting activity. Less than fifty days before the first round of the presidential election, this news item should be an opportunity to raise awareness of the urgency of improving security conditions and sharing the natural space in good intelligence.

With each drama, the controversy resurfaces. This is all the more painful in that it not only shatters the victim’s life, it also affects the fate of the hunter, a 17-year-old girl who has only held a hunting license for a few months. While waiting for the investigation to provide clarification on the circumstances of the accident, the death of this hiker once again raises the question of the responsibility of hunters in the exercise of their hobby.

Read also Hunting accident in Cantal: indictment of the teenager suspected of being responsible for the shooting

Hunting-related insecurity is not limited to a few isolated cases. Thus, 41% of French people living in rural areas declare having been (themselves or their relatives) victims of a situation where they felt in danger when walking, driving or when shooting at a dwelling or building, depending on a YouGov/Animal Cross poll made in January. This survey highlights the urgent need to strengthen the framework for the practice.

More controls

If hunting requires obtaining a permit, some basic rules (shooting angle, areas to avoid, etc.) are quickly forgotten or neglected. Having a firearm in your hands, however, requires constant vigilance. Self-regulation between hunters is not enough. More checks by the National Office for Forests and the Office for Biodiversity are needed. Still they would have to have the means. The halving of the price of the hunting license decided by the current power has only weakened the resources available to these two organizations to monitor and sanction those who are irresponsible.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers After the death of a hiker, killed by hunting fire in Cantal: “That it has become political is good”

The idea of ​​stricter regulation of hunting days, beyond the seasonal nature of the practice, is also gaining ground. The EELV candidate, Yannick Jadot, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (La France insoumise) propose banning hunting on weekends. Over the past twenty years, the French Office for Biodiversity has recorded more than 3,300 accidents, which have cost the lives of 421 people, the vast majority of them at weekends.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers Senators in the field to assess hunting license training

Almost all European countries, some of which have hunting traditions as deeply rooted as in France, have already established one or more non-hunting days. England, Wales and the Netherlands have banned hunting on Sundays. There is no reason for France to remain an exception.

The sanctuarization of passages for walkers is obviously not sufficient: the hiker who lost her life was on a marked path. The creation of an application to geolocate the hunts, as recently announced by the State Secretariat for Biodiversity, will no longer be a guarantee of absolute security.

Read also Article reserved for our subscribers Following a fatal accident, hunting invites itself into the electoral campaign

Hunting holds an important place in France. The country has the largest number of practitioners in Europe, with more than one million holders of a valid permit. This new accident, which underlines the need to change the rules, should encourage dialogue in order to organize a respectful cohabitation within nature.

Read also Five preconceived ideas about hunting scrutinized: “a city dweller’s hobby”, “fewer accidents for twenty years”

The world