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Polish government clashes with hunters over plans to introduce regular health checks
Sep 12, 2024 | Notes from Pawland, Society
- https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/09/12/polish-government-clashes-with-hunters-over-plans-to-introduce-regular-health-checks/
Polish hunters have expressed opposition to government plans to introduce compulsory periodic checks of their physical and mental health.
The climate ministry says that the measures are a response to accidents involving hunters in which people have died. It also notes that other groups that handle weapons already have the requirement to undergo such tests.
The proposal is part of a package of measures being considered by the climate ministry, which also includes restrictions on hunting in groups and on the use of night vision, as well as obligations to inform property owners about planned individual hunting on their land, reports the Rzeczpospolita daily.
However, the proposal to introduce periodic physical and psychological examinations has caused the most outcry among hunters. There are approximately 130,000 registered hunters in Poland, and currently they only have to undergo checks when applying for a gun permit.
By contrast, other groups handling weapons, such as police officers and soldiers, also undergo additional periodic examinations. Private individuals who have a weapons permit for personal protection also have to undergo checks once every five years.
“Anyone who owns a weapon and has permission to use it should undergo periodic examinations. This is in the name of citizens‘ security,” climate minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska told broadcaster Radio Zet.
“It must not be the case that people are killed during hunting,” she continued, adding that “90% of the public wants hunters to undergo periodic examinations. People expect such a change because they want to feel safe”.
That was a reference to a recent survey published by an anti-hunting group that found 94% of people supported regular medical checks for hunters.
Last month, a hunter fatally shot a colleague after mistaking him for a wild boar. In November 2023, a 21-year-old soldier was shot by hunters at a military site, again after they reportedly mistook him for an animal.
“We can’t pretend that everything is OK. We have a problem,” wrote deputy climate minister Mikołaj Dorożała. “Drivers, policemen, soldiers do tests…Such tests should be mandatory [for hunters too]. We’re not saying that they should be done every six months, but once every 4-5 years.”
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Wyoming Moves Closer to OK-ing Wolf-Whacking, But Only If You Immediately Kill It
This isn’t hunting.
BRP
Sep 11, 2024 at 7:37am ET
5 min read
By: Jonathon Klein
Earlier this year, the world became aware of a practice called “wolf-whacking.” It is the act of running down a wolf with a snowmobile, ATV, UTV, or other vehicle and running it over.
It’s a method of predator control that’s explicitly legal in the state of Wyoming. But the reason why it became a topic of worldwide discussion was that a local Wyoming resident didn’t immediately kill the animal he had run down. Instead, Cody Roberts of Daniel, Wyoming, ran the animal down, tied it up after it had been severely injured, brought it to a local bar, paraded it around, had patrons take pictures with the wounded animal, and then ultimately killed it behind said bar.
The only repercussion Roberts faced was a $250 fine.
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Roberts’ actions went viral, spreading wide and far. Countless organizations spoke out against his actions, as well as Wyoming’s predator statutes, including animal rights and hunting groups. The two made strange bedfellows as they’re often very much at odds with one another—look at the current fight for mountain lion hunting in Colorado—but both argued that the practice, and its legality, were cruel methods of take toward the animal.
After the outrage poured in, it looked as if the laws surrounding the practice would be changed. And, indeed, it may. But rather than outlaw wolf-whacking as a predator population control methodology, it’s looking as if Wyoming is moving toward allowing people to continue using vehicles to run the animals down, but adding a small caveat.
An ad-hoc working group was formed after the incident went viral with the direction to see what could be done to mitigate further incidents such as Roberts. With that directive, many believed that “wolf-whacking” would be outlawed given we have better predator population control methods that are far more ethical in how the animal is put down, i.e. high-powered rifles, state wildlife management techniques, and actual wolf hunting seasons with responsible hunters.
But the group met for the last time last week and in its proposed draft update to Wyoming’s law, not only did it not ban the practice, but said it was still absolutely OK to engage in. They did propose a change.
“Any person who intentionally injures or disables a predatory animal by use of an automotive vehicle, motor-propelled wheeled vehicle, or vehicle designed for travel over snow shall upon inflicting the injury or disability immediately use all reasonable efforts to kill the injured or disabled predatory animal,” the draft reads. So the wolf-whacking can continue, but the person who runs the animal down has to immediately kill it so it doesn’t suffer as in the case with Roberts.
But as a late-onset hunter, a snowmobiler, and just a human, this doesn’t feel like it goes far enough.
Though the draft legislation states that the person responsible must “use all reasonable efforts to kill the injured or disabled predatory animal” to end any suffering, the act of running the animal down and running it over, however, will inflict said suffering no matter what. Now, I’m still new to hunting, but one of the chief tenets that’s drilled into your brain as you’re learning how to hunt is that you do everything in your power for your method of take to not inflict suffering on the animal. To be ethical in your shot process so that it dies quickly.
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I’ve spent countless hours practicing my bow shots in my backyard, at varying ranges, angles, sitting, kneeling, standing on one foot, and with 80 pounds on my back. I know that when I release an arrow, it’s going to go exactly where I want and that animal should hopefully die quickly and cleanly.
Running it over doesn’t have good enough odds that the animal dies quickly like a rifle or a bow does, though. As in the case of Roberts’ actions, that wolf lived for quite some time, likely in a lot of pain, and that isn’t hunting. More than that, what the Wyoming working group’s action doesn’t just embolden others to do what Roberts did, but it also gives ammunition to anti-hunting groups who will use this to attempt to strip our hunting rights and privileges away. And not just for predator hunting, but for deer, elk, and everything in between.
That language is already baked into the Colorado mountain lion ban proposal.
Hunters are often portrayed in a similar light as Roberts was. Wanton killers who don’t care about the animal suffering and are only in it for the trophy and the killing, which just absolutely isn’t true.
We’re stewards of the land and animals. We clean up trails and the woods, we fund conservation projects and revive animal habitats. We protect our drinking waters from pollution and halt government sales of public lands that are enjoyed by all who recreate, not just hunters.
And that good work is all risked by lawmakers taking what already is bad optics and painting people like Roberts as hunters and seemingly throwing gasoline on the fire.
According to WyoFile, “The working group—a mix of lawmakers and non-elected government and private-sector officials—now passes the baton to the Legislature’s Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Committee. Members will meet at the end of the month, when they are scheduled to consider the recommended legislation at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 30 in Cheyenne.”
As for what happens next, there’s talk amongst lawmakers that the draft language could change once it hits the legislature. But from the scuttlebutt reported is that the proposal’s language could become more encompassing, though vaguer, removing language of vehicles, something that directly flies in the face of the state’s Fish and Game Department wants.
“If we remove this stuff related to vehicles, it would then include aircraft,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik said, as aerial hunting is legal in Wyoming. He added, “We don’t want to criminalize otherwise legal behavior.”
The likelihood of the draft proposal changing drastically doesn’t look certain, which will likely have reverberations throughout the West, and indeed the hunting community at large, even though this isn’t hunting. We’ll have to wait and see what occurs, but this isn’t a good look for anyone involved.
https://www.rideapart.com/news/732712/new-law-update-wyoming-wolf-whacking-hunting/
Unlicensed hunter jailed for 20 months after injuring fellow hunter
By
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September 11, 2024 3:55 PM
A 36-year-old man was sentenced to 20 months in prison and fined €7,000 for a tragic hunting incident in Żabbar that injured a fellow hunter.
Simon Camilleri, a public cleansing worker, sobbed as he admitted his role in the shooting accident that occurred while he was out snail-picking with his father on Monday morning.
Two hunters accidentally shoot each other in Żabbar field
Camilleri spotted a turtle dove in the fields of Triq Anard and immediately grabbed his father’s shotgun to fire at it. Unbeknownst to him, another hunter was nearby, and the pellets from his shot injured the victim slightly.
Camilleri repeatedly apologised in court for his actions, claiming that he had no intention of causing harm to anyone. His lawyer, Yanika Barbara Sant, emphasised that her client thought he was alone in the field and had acted rashly, resulting in a tragic chain of events.
Camilleri was charged with a number of offences in court, including hunting without a valid licence, illegal possession of a firearm, and causing injury through negligence.
The case also revealed Camilleri’s history of illegal hunting activities. He was banned from hunting for life in 2013, and by 2020, he had already been fined significantly for hunting during a closed season. Despite his prior convictions, the court noted Camilleri’s full cooperation with authorities during the investigation and genuine remorse for his actions.
The prosecution acknowledged Camilleri’s cooperation while emphasising his previous criminal record, indicating that this was not an isolated incident. Despite this, the prosecution did not seek the harshest punishment, allowing for a more lenient sentence.
Camilleri’s grief was palpable in the courtroom, as he sobbed repeatedly, pleading with the magistrate for mercy. His elderly mother, who was present in court, defended him, noting that her son had also been injured by the other hunter during the incident.
In his defence, Camilleri claimed that he had no intention of hunting that morning and was simply out with his father picking snails. However, when he saw the turtle dove, he acted without thinking, resulting in the tragic shooting.
His lawyer insisted that the shotgun belonged to Camilleri’s father and that the incident was completely unplanned. Camilleri’s emotional state throughout the hearing reflected his deep regret, which was exacerbated by his concern about missing his sister’s upcoming wedding due to his imprisonment.
Magistrate Lara Lanfranco, who presided over the case, ultimately sentenced Camilleri to 20 months of effective imprisonment and imposed a €7,000 fine, which he could pay in monthly installments.
The court also ordered the confiscation of the shotgun and a two-year restraining order against Camilleri, prohibiting him from contacting the victim.
Camilleri, though visibly shaken by the sentence, appeared to accept his fate, expressing a final wish for rehabilitation options for hunting addiction before being led out of the courtroom.
