This makes me feel physically sick. Poor puppy and poor owner!
It's sad for the dog.
But, the dog was on a leash, meaning a human was a few meters away from the dog. Shooting at 23h00 in the dark in the direction of a public street where people is usually found is ______ (word that will get me a ban). It's dark, it's easy to misidentify, misjudge distances in the dark, this is precisely how accidents happen. Not sure if the headline should be "person walking the dog almost hit by trigger happy guy, dog is shot instead".
Now I understand why some people puts on a leash with lights on dogs. No way a fox is carrying a bright red light.
PS. is it legal to shoot foxes just like that? I've seen foxes when walking in the forest near my place in the dusk/evening.
Wow, how incredibly sad.
That idiot needs to be put in jail. It sounds like he's a danger to the community. Who the hell just shoots in the dark like that, and in an area where people walk their dogs, etc.?
There are many different types of flashing devices, for the collar or leash. People should carry a flashlight too.
But who in their right mind would be firing a weapon at night??
The man's lawyer said:
All the more reason why he shouldn't have been shooting in the first place. Also, no idea why the guy feels a need to shoot foxes. He just sounds like an idiot with a gun and too much time on his hands.
What can else the lawyer tell beyond that the shooter was “sure”? That’s the less bad option to defend the shooter.
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If the lawyer suggests that the shooter was not “sure” it was a fox, that would imply the guy shot in spite of having doubts (negligence).
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The other option is telling the shooter was “sure” it was a fox. But this implies that the shooter cannot tell the difference between things in his mind and reality. People having visual or auditory hallucinations are “sure” of seeing and listening to things that simply are not there.
Additional context, it’s legal to hunt foxes in Graubünden during this time of the year. This should be included in the Graubünden tourism ads: people will be shooting from their homes, enjoy your visit!
In the last few years and in Switzerland alone can I remember several (!) cases where hunters killed horses because they mistook them for bucks. In Muotathal some guy even managed to shoot a Lama (!) because he mistook it for a deer (?!)… https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/muot…erliert-patent
So its far from a once in a lifetime event - on the one hand does hunting go a little too hand in hand with drinking in CH and on the other hand should some people not use firearms anymore if they cant see clearly at 79 years old.
Thank you for the context on that.
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but hunting definitely isn't my thing... So why would anyone hunt foxes? Somehow I doubt they eat them afterward (though Ticino Tom might).
It's either because they're vermin, or they need culling.
Don't know the details but I'd assume is to keep the number of foxes aligned with the amount of food the environment can provide, so foxes don't die of starvation. This also done for deer and wild hogs, so they don't slowly die during the winter.
So, there's a human ideal behind the hunting (one quick shot better than starvation). Thus, minimizing the suffering of animals is an objective. Because of this, cantons manage hunting licenses and (try to) ensure the only people capable of minimizing the suffering of animals have the permit to hunt.
Hunters.
Tom
And in most countries they spread rabies and other diseases.
Tom
They also shoot foxes acting strangely as they could be suffering from rabies (yes, I know Switzerland is currently rabies free).
I don't particularly like shooting foxes, but when they have mange or are injured then I don't think twice, the alternative is worse.
There's also a valid argument that the large fox population (among many other things) contributes to the huge decline in rabbits and ground breeding birds, and also results in increased disease among foxes like mange, rabies, and distemper.
I often hunt at night with a thermal camera and a lamp, this level of irresponsibility is staggering and tragic.