After the death on Saturday of a 25-year-old hiker years following a hunting accident, the spokesperson for the Brigitte Bardot foundation, which works for the protection of animals, calls for “strong” measures.
Article written by
Published
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
Christophe Marie, spokesperson and deputy director of the association for the protection of animals, returns to franceinfo on the death of a 25-year-old hiker, killed by a stray bullet in Cantal, Saturday February 19.
franceinfo: What do you expect after this accident?
Christopher Marie: We need a political response because unfortunately the death of this young woman is not an isolated case. In 20 years, hunters have killed more than 400 people and injured thousands more. We are asking for a much stricter framework for hunting and days without hunting to achieve a better sharing of nature.
Do the French feel in danger while hunting?
We did a survey last year which shows that 71% of French people say they are insecure when they walk during a hunting season. It is something that grows. In 2009, 46% of French people felt safe compared to 29% today. Candidates are asked to establish two non-hunting days per week plus school periods. Yannick Jadot and Jean-Luc Mélenchon have positioned themselves. We will unveil in a few days a new poll carried out in February in which 83% of French people questioned say they are in favor of the introduction of two non-hunted days per week plus school holidays.
Do you think the government can take important measures in the middle of an election campaign?
The weight of hunters is infinitely less than that of animal defenders. Obviously there has been a drop in the number of accidents, but there are fewer hunters today than 40 years ago. We cannot pursue the policy we pursued under Giscard because the situation is no longer the same. Our relationship with animals and nature is totally different. We must take strong measures. Emmanuel Macron has the image of someone who wanted the voice of the hunters. There, we feel that it is rather from the right to the far right that this race for votes is taking place. We must stop pretending that we will prevent this kind of accident as long as we put in armed minors. We are waiting for a real response from the government.