A press conference was just held in front of the hunting gate regarding the ban on hunting at the gate, which came into force, and only 2 days later a battue took place there.
Stream (OTS) – The hard-fought hunting law is clear: according to § 170 (3a), from February 1, 2023, no more gate hunting may take place in Burgenland. By that time the gate fences should have been removed. This is not the case with the Strem hunting gate. And § 10 (5) of the Hunting Act states that before February 1, 2023, battues might only take place in the hunting gate between October 1 and January 31. And yet now, on February 18, 2023, a battue is taking place in the same Strem hunting gate. So this is illegal in many ways.
Local residents and animal rights activists documented the hunt. The deputy chairman of the VGT, also on site, also called the police. This spoke to the gate operator and informed the VGT that there would be a display. The battue was interrupted at midday, but resumed around 1 p.m.
VGT Chairman DDr. Martin Balluch is also involved: “The authority once once more fails to execute an animal welfare provision, in this case one of the Hunting Act.
Calls from the authorities that this is none of the business of the VGT, which would not decide, are superfluous. The authorities also have no arbitrary leeway here, but must execute the laws as they are written. No more gate hunting, no more hunting gates, the animals must be able to move in and out of the former gate at will. We expect that the authorities will finally step in and not accept the strange excuses of the gate hunt operators: inside.
According to ORF, gate operator Draskovich says, for example, that the gate fence, which previously served to keep an overpopulation of hunted victims in the gate, should now serve to keep the same animals out. Only shield citizens fall for something like that. There are no protective forest fences within which even-toed ungulates reside, covering an area of 130 ha. So the fence has to go and go.”
Questions & contact:
VGT – Association once morest animal factories
DDr. Martin Balluch
campaign lead
01 929 14 98
media@vgt.at
