I find it hard to understand the logic of Minister Benoit Charette’s speech, who claims to authorize deer hunting in national parks because he claims to be concerned about their well-being.
Quebec recognized in 2015 that animals are living beings endowed with sensitivity and that it is imperative to reduce their suffering to a minimum. However, does crossbow hunting inflict suffering on the animals that are its victims? According to an article in the newspaper France-Evening in 2019, the answer is yes. The animals suffer a lot. They are more often injured than killed instantly. We also know that the agony of animals can be long.
“Be aware that we should expect an agony of about 30 to 45 minutes when the arrow hits the heart or the lungs […]. An hour of stalking or more will be necessary if the animal has been hit in the liver. And it will take eight to twelve hours if the arrow has hit the belly. »
The article also mentions numerous studies where it appears that:
— the rate of successful shots, i.e. damage to vital organs, is extremely low (only 9.25%)
— animals hit by arrows that do not reach their vital organs suffer for a long time before dying drained of their blood or remain disabled for life and therefore condemned to term.
Honoring its reputation as a dunce when it comes to animal welfare, Quebec has, alas, only one word in its mouth when it comes to animal overpopulation, whether domestic or wild: kill. But does it have to be done in the most cruel way possible? And could we not dream of another mode of operation, which would allow us humans to coexist peacefully with species and preserve the fragile balance of our ecosystems?
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