12/02/24 State's Generous Subsidies for Hunters who Killed over 290000 Animals Last Year
December 3 is Anti-Hunt Day – environmental biologists warn that hunting is the second biggest killer of animal species
- Our future lies in promoting eco-tourism, not shooting animals
December 3 is Anti-Hunt Day. Official data show that last year Croatian hunters killed approximately two hundred and ninety thousand rabbits, boars, deer, roe, pheasants, waterfowl, and other animals. Animal Friends Croatia are appalled by the number: “We strongly condemn any form of hunting or poaching. Hunters are trying to present animal killing as a noble and purposeful hobby, speaking of themselves as honourable protectors of nature. Unfortunately, they are supported by politicians, hunters themselves, often reiterating the false claim that hunters maintain the balance between man and nature. On the contrary, it is indisputable that every hunting session leaves behind a tortured, terrified, and cowardly killed animal that someone ambushed while lying in wait, or trapped it so it can die in anguish, or even worse, slowly die for hours and days.”
The group revealed they had been receiving complaints by concerned citizens who dislike hunters. They perceive them as a danger to their cats and dogs, fearing pets might be shot by a stray bullet on a walk, or enduring shooting noises if they live close to areas claimed as hunting grounds by local hunters. “According to publicly available information, huge state budget funds are allocated for hunting. Hunting is also financed by city councils, municipalities, and counties. They receive millions of euros for insurance policies for cars that run over wild game, for killing animals following orders by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, for regular and additional state investments in game hunting, etc. In other words, the government is very generous when it comes to hunting. At the same time, we hear from the citizens that hunting and poaching violations are rarely penalised, while often covered up by hunting associations,” explained Snježana Klopotan Kačavenda, Animal Friends Croatia Project Coordinator.
She added that large numbers of animals that had been illegally killed and subsequently confiscated at border crossings clearly indicate that foreign nationals organise hunts in Croatia with the help of local hunters, or rather poachers, who know the terrain and animal movements very well. Foreign nationals pay between 500 and 15,000 euros per animal. Poaching is, unfortunately, widely present all over Croatia, whereas participants are often either connected with the criminal milieu or simply a part of it, with no punishments for hunting, poaching, or poisoning of thousands of protected birds and animals every year.
Experts and activists from animal welfare and nature protection groups warn that it was hunters who brought allochthonous game to the islands. “Just in Croatia, several species such as bears, wolves and griffon vultures have been brought to near extinction by hunters, which makes the future of many species extremely uncertain. Hunters often use the excuse to kill animals claiming they are overpopulating a certain area, even if they breed them only to let them free in nature and kill them later. It is absurd that they kill the predators first, and then use the subsequent excess of their prey as an excuse to kill off the prey too,” emphasised Klopotan Kačavenda.
Environmental biologists state that, after industrial farming, hunting is the second largest threat to species. Environmental studies based on field research have shown that animals have an internal mechanism for regulating population growth, which is not controlled by hunting. In parts of Europe where hunting is forbidden, there have been no findings of excess animal population.
Thus, Animal Friends Croatia note that nature can be protected without using guns: “Today, in the 21st century, animal hunting is a barbaric and an ethically unacceptable activity. Hunters themselves could do much more for nature without the guns, and we support their efforts to curb poaching. There is no justification why hunt promotion as a tourist and a sport activity, together with trophy hunting should not be banned immediately.”
The group conclude that our future lies in genuine environmental protection by promoting eco-tourism, or “hunting” animals with cameras and not guns. This type of tourism, ever more popular around the world, could have numerous benefits: creating jobs, bringing income from foreign and domestic tourists, and helping us learn about nature.
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