Call to ban marmot hunting in France as campaigners say they are ‘killed for fun’
Protests and petitions planned amid growing concerns over impact of climate crisis on numbers of Alpine rodent
TL;DR
- Animal rights campaigners are protesting and petitioning the French government to ban marmot hunting.
- The hunting season for Alpine marmots begins in September.
- Campaigners argue that hunting marmots is unethical and done for sport, especially as their numbers are reportedly declining due to the climate emergency.
- Marmots are a popular and symbolic animal in the Savoie region and the Alps.
- Scientists have observed that climate change is negatively impacting marmot social stability, leading to increased aggression and reduced breeding success.
- Marmots play a role in their ecosystem as food for carnivores and by aerating the soil through their tunnels.
- France allows marmot hunting, similar to some US states, Canada, Switzerland, and Austria, but it is banned in Italy and Germany.
- French farmers sometimes consider marmots a nuisance due to damage caused by their burrowing.
- The National Hunters Federation states that marmot hunting is strictly supervised, regulated, and that the species is not threatened and its numbers are increasing.
- Campaigners are pushing for a national ban, citing the practice as cruel, absurd, and unpopular, and distinguishing it from historical subsistence hunting.