“Replacing Hunting of Geneva Wildlife with Anti-Baby Vaccination”
Published: Thursday, Oct 26th 2023, 17:20
Updated At: Thursday, Oct 26th 2023, 20:32
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The growing population of deer, roe deer and wild boar in Geneva should not be controlled by hunting, but by contraception, according to the animal welfare organization Animal Equité (AEE). The AEE is calling on the cantonal government to take action.
The organization is calling on the State Council to stop hunting wild animals and to conduct a pilot study to test the effectiveness of a contraceptive vaccine. This call comes in response to a decision by State Councilor Antonio Hodgers (Green Party) to shoot deer in the forests of Versoix in the near future.
The Swiss Animal Protection Association (STS) has expressed its opposition to the proposed culling of wild animals in the canton of Zurich. According to a media statement released on Thursday, the STS is "absolutely against" the proposed culls, which would also violate the cantonal law. According to the current law, culls of animals causing damage can only be approved after "exhaustion of preventive measures".
In this case, the government has not exhausted measures aimed at reducing animal populations, such as reducing their numbers, before considering culling.
Hunting is actually prohibited.
In the Canton of Geneva, hunting of mammals and birds has been prohibited since 1974. However, following a change in the law, the Canton is now able to regulate animal populations. The State Council is able to make decisions regarding appropriate measures without the need for approval from a commission of representatives from animal and nature conservation.
The animal welfare organization AEE also pointed out that many countries, including those in the European Union, are relying on a vaccine for contraception. This could help them stabilize or reduce their populations of wild animals, particularly wild boars and deer.
The proposal was rejected.
The Animal Ethics and Education (AEE) organization has criticized the cantonal authorities for repeatedly proposing a method that has been unsuccessful. The justification given was that it is better to allow animals to express their reproductive instinct and euthanize any excess animals than to interfere with their reproductive cycles.
A petition against the hunting of deer in the forests of Versoix, which was launched two days ago, has already gathered more than 20,000 signatures.
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