“We ask that a working group be set up to discuss the sharing of nature between hunters and non-hunters”,explains Sunday February 20 on franceinfo Dominique Py, member of France Nature Environnement, in charge of the “Hunting and wildlife” file, the day after the death of a 25-year-old hiker in Cantal. The young woman was hit by a stray bullet fired by a 17-year-old hunter.
“It’s a recurring request that we’ve been making for years and so far, we haven’t been heard, regrets Dominique Py. There must be an arbiter, in this case the government” to take “measures that promote cohabitation between hunters and non-hunters”, wishes the expert.
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“Our federation is not opposed to hunting”, wishes to clarify Dominique Py. France Nature Environnement calls in particular for a ban on hunting one day a week: “You should know that this provision already exists in other countries. So when hunters tell us that it is not possible, look in England, for example”. A summary of the Senate specifies that the “Game Act of 1831 prohibits hunting on Sundays for the species to which it applies, i.e. hares, pheasants, partridges, grouse, capercaillies, as well as moorland game or heather.”
This provision also exists locally in France, “except that depending on the hunting societies, it is not the same day that the hunt is stopped”, regrets Dominique Py.
“The different hunting federations should agree to choose the same non-hunting day”.
Dominique Py, France Nature Environmentat franceinfo
France Nature Environnement also calls on hunters to systematically remind them of the safety instructions at the start of the hunt and to “remove hunters who do not respect them”. “We hope that these unfortunate and always dramatic accidents will change thinking and that we can move forward,” adds Dominique Py, who sits on the national hunting and wildlife council. According to her, “These accidents are mainly due to non-compliance with regulations and safety instructions and firing without formal identification of the target”.