Hunting with hounds is “a modern and ecological practice”, boasts the president of the Société de vènerie

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Since May 2022, he has been the boss of hunting: Pierre-François Prioux. The new president of the Venerie Societyelected, calls himself “combative”. With the first challenge of filling the image deficit from which the practice, inherited from the Middle Ages, suffers, he decided to open wide the doors of this world which lived in isolation.

Facing anti-hunting activists, phones in hand, on the lookout for the slightest video with viral potential, Pierre-François Prioux wants to show his credentials. “Open” the dialogue and above all “anchor venery in the 21st century”.

This former history and geography professor himself created his crew: the Rallye Tempête. “In homage to the name of a dog,” he says. And since then, he has traveled all over France, both to hunt, but also to understand how to reinvent this practice to the legacies of another time. Interview.

Actu : What motivates you about hunting today?

Pierre-François Prioux: Because hunting with hounds is a modern, ecological practice and completely anchored in the 21st century. It participates in the conservation of forest areas in the face of the contemporary world which is eating away at the massifs with ever more roads. Also, since without us, the animal would become sedentary. With hunting with hounds, wildlife keeps its instincts. I don't want nature to be sanitized and emptied. Dogs hunt weaker animals and therefore participate in selection. Everything that is most natural. It is for the love of seeing them hunt that I practice hunting with hounds. Hearing them is the basis. Finally, and contrary to what one might think, it is a fabulous human mix in a fabulous nature.

Hunting with hounds is considered elitist, cruel and outdated. For what ?

P-F. P. : Elitist, really? For a long time, we imagined that venery was for the nobles and aristocrats or even the great industrialists. This was true until the 19th century. But in the 20th and 21st centuries, hunting with hounds opened up to the world. No, we are not aristocrats in frock coats. There's everything: hairdressers, municipal employees… Thinking that it's elitist is a rearguard battle. Then, the venery is anything but cruel. Cruelty is intentionally causing others to suffer. Like the cat that plays with the mouse before killing it. For us, it's natural. Dogs hunt herbivores and in 25% of cases, they are successful. Good for them. Finally, to say that hunting is obsolete is a complete error. There have never been so many hunters with hounds. For me, it’s a real return to roots and heritage. Every month, we are forced to refuse new crews to train because they do not meet the standards we impose. The quality of the kennel, decent hunting grounds… Hunting is really a booming practice.

Anti-hunting activists film you, follow you. Very often refusing dialogue. What do you think?

P-F. P. : We have to create society. My goal is for everyone to be together. Hunting with hounds is constantly being questioned, as in peri-urban forests. The actions of environmental activists cause me a lot of regret and sadness. We can no longer talk to each other without talking about class struggle. At home, there is everything from a farmer to a doctor. To the opponents, I invite them to come see us so that they can change their minds about hunting with hounds.

Did you fear that hunting could one day be abolished?

P-F. P. : There are 1,100 crews around the world, including 350 in France. Spread across three continents: Oceania, America and Europe. You should know that hunting with hounds was banned in Germany under the Nazi regime with a law intended to preserve the purity of a mute and immobile hunting technique. In England, Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for 10 years, said in his memoirs that he regretted only one thing: having abolished hunting for political reasons. I don't want us to give in to political pressure. If hunting is banned tomorrow, all hunting will be in danger. And who will manage the wildlife?

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