Good news from our side of the pond: Luxembourg has banned fox hunting Emoticon heart Sooo proud of our little country again Emoticon smile ------------------------------------ Luxembourgs State Secretary justifies the fox hunting ban amidst a stir both in the country and also abroad, as other countries got wind of the legislation. (ADW) The recent announcement that Luxembourg is to ban fox hunting certainly caused a stir both in the country and also abroad, as other countries got wind of the legislation. The ruling set many a tail wagging in approval while the hackles rose for others in objection. Now, the Secretary of State for the Sustainability Ministry, Camille Gira of the Green Party, has defended the ban and stated that there is “no objective reason” to hunt foxes, in a press conference on Thursday. Shooting foxes is of “virtually no beneficial use” especially as they are not used as food or clothing, he said. Anyone mentioning rabies to justify shooting foxes was swiftly reminded by Gira that the disease was “eliminated” in the Grand Duchy more than ten years ago. Arguments put forward by hunters not to go ahead with a shooting ban were dismissed by the State Secretary who pointed towards statistics showing a dramatic decline in Luxembourgs fox population in the past 15 years. The decline in foxes is a dramatic development,” added Laurent Schley of the nature and forests administration. Over the past 15 years the number of foxes in Luxembourg has dropped from 5,802 to 2,504, or in other words a 57 percent decline. Although the number of animals killed may not be wholly responsible for the decline and development of the overall population, all experts agreed that the figures best illustrate the problem. Apart from bare statistics, Gira also explained that for him it was an argument of animal welfare too, saying that it is wrong to shoot around 3,000 of these gentle creatures each year and then discard them.” The government guidelines would be important to promote a different way of dealing with animals” and that in an “enlightened 21st century society, we humans are not the only creatures that have feelings and feel pain, says Gira. Gira stated that the subject was questioned and discussed for a long time and in detail. He did not take the decision to ban lightly. The main reasons for the decision were: 1 The dramatic decline of fox population 2. Fox meat is not eaten and fox hunting provides otherwise no benefit to the public 3. A threat of rabies in the country is not real For those reasons, and a few others to boot, the conclusion was reached to remove foxes from the list of huntable animals, though whether this will become a permanent ban remains to be seen. The government has also decided to take further action. In the future a complete, a general ban on hunting is planned in woods and forests between March 1 and April 15. The only exception is the hunting of wild boar in open land, i.e. outside forests. Although the Secretary of State appeared to be against hunters, there was one exception. Gira announced that the hunting season for deer would be extended from mid-September to mid-October but only from raised hideouts. Source: wort.lu/…/secretary-of-state-camille-gira-state-… A note from OFA: Luxembourg might very well soon become the first country in Europe - and maybe even in the entire world - to ban hunting all together! Luxembourg simply ROCKS! ....For many reasons Emoticon smile https://youtube/watch?v=BekwlqzNWT4
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 18:43:35 +0000
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