Upper Austria: State government approves hunting of birds that are protected all year round during the mating season

“Private purposes” are cited as an exception – animal welfare lodges a complaint

Vienna (OTS) – Although black grouse are protected all year round in Upper Austria, the responsible state government approves the shooting of 51 black grouse. And although birds are not allowed to be hunted during their breeding and rearing period, the shooting is scheduled to take place in May. And that with the succinct justification for unspecified “private purposes”! against these notices Animal Protection Austria as part of the Referendum for a federal hunting law now file a complaint. Now it’s the state administrative court’s turn. The referendum for a federal hunting law calls, among other things, for an end to spring hunting for birds.

The black grouse, a species of grouse, is already largely extinct in Upper Austria at lower altitudes due to habitat destruction and only occurs in the Alpine regions of the state. The species is protected all year round and cannot be hunted. However, the Upper Austrian hunting law stipulates that the state government can grant exceptions to the closed season if these exceptions are “necessary” and there is “no other satisfactory solution”. The state government has now granted such exceptions for the killing of 51 black grouse.

The applicants, the hunting companies and their own hunting operators who would like to shoot these 51 black grouse brought “private purposes” into the meeting without specifying these purposes. Which private purposes come into question? Hunting for grouse such as black grouse, hazel grouse and capercaillie is pure trophy hunting, explains Prof. Dr. Rudolf Winkelmayer, representative of the referendum for a federal hunting law. “The private purpose is primarily to enjoy killing a beautiful black grouse and then display the poor animal stuffed at home. Or to show off the feathers on its hat.” Incidentally, the majority of the applications were not submitted by private individuals, but by companies. The private purpose here is probably to make money by selling black grouse kills.

However, the state government as the responsible authority would have to check whether such shootings are necessary and have no alternative. However, the applicants failed to provide any justification that would have made such an examination possible. The authority should therefore have rejected the applications and not waved them through. The lack of justification speaks volumes, because, of course, it is not necessary to shoot black grouses, and especially not in the springsaid Winkelmayer from the referendum for a federal hunting law.

The hunting law also stipulates that authorized removal may only take place under strictly monitored conditions. The Upper Austrian decisions also violated this criterion. State government. There are no controls to ensure that only roosters released for hunting are shot.

This slippery use of the law in favor of the wishes of trophy hunters is unfortunately typical of the situation in Austria and further evidence that Austria needs a new, progressive hunting law. The referendum for a federal hunting law is aimed at precisely thissaid Winkelmayer.

The referendum For a federal hunting law hat 14 principles formulated, which are to be implemented in a federal hunting law. The initiative made up of AG Wild Animals, the Ecological Hunting Association, Animal Protection Austria and ASSOCIATION AGAINST TIERFABRIKEN is currently promoting declarations of support for the referendum, which all people eligible to vote in Austria can make at any district or municipal office and online around the clock using a cell phone signature.

Questions & Contact:

VGT – ASSOCIATION AGAINST ANIMAL FACTORIES
George Prince
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