In the Doubs, while chamois have been in decline for several years, victims in particular of recreational hunting and undoubtedly also of climate change, the prefecture nevertheless authorizes hunters to kill a maximum of 594 individuals until the end of January 2025… Either 52% of a population estimated at 1140 individuals! Against this totally unacceptable carnage, ASPAS filed an appeal on the merits before the administrative court of Besançon, and requests a moratorium on the hunting of this species.
A very rare species…
There are only a little more than 1000 chamois in the Doubs, or 10 times less than the number of deer. With a density of barely one animal per 100 hectares of woodland, and knowing that it is an ungulate that causes almost no damage to human activities, there would be plenty of room to accommodate many other chamois in the department without let this not jeopardize any balance!
Hunted by tradition…
The chamois is a peaceful ungulate, able to self-regulate and which does not cause any significant nuisance to human activities. However, unlike the Alpine ibex which is fortunately protected by law, the chamois is among the huntable species in France… It is therefore not killed only for leisure of some, by “cultural tradition” more by any need for regulation.
Accused of unverifiable damage…
In the Doubs, where hunters themselves note a significant decline in populations according to the data they provided to the prefecture, the chamois is accused of attacking forests, particularly young plantations, but also farmers' meadows (!). Realize: we are killing a species because it dares to eat… grass!
Concerning this supposed agricultural damage, mentioned in particular in a report broadcast on December 30 on TF1, the prefecture does not report it; rather, what it retains, as an argument to justify the attribution of the chamois hunting plan, are the alleged “browsing” and “debarking” damage that these animals cause on trees, particularly on plots of reforestation financed by the State as part of the adaptation of forests to climate change.
However, the maps provided by the prefecture do not provide no date, nor any indication as to the extent of the damage highlighted ; neither the areas actually concerned, nor the financial pressure felt, nor even a possible delay in reforestation are identified. It is therefore impossible to differentiate between browsing in the forest which would be considered acceptable (the chamois must feed well) and a level of browsing considered excessive.
And even if there would be damage, nothing allows us to attribute them with certainty to chamois. And to avoid them, simply protect the plants using anti-game sheaths!
Already “regulated” by its natural predators
Furthermore, in no case does the hunting plan take into account the presence, in the Doubs, of natural predators of the chamois: wolves and lynx. Depriving these protected predators of their natural prey is not only indirectly harm these speciesbut it is also increase the risk that they will fall back on domestic prey.
Also read: “Regulating lynx, the Doubs is a hunter’s dream!”
Potential victim of climate change
The prefecture no longer takes into account the potentially deleterious effects of climate change on chamoiswhich several recent scientific studies tend to demonstrate, in particular: the survival of young people undermined due to rising summer temperatures, reproductive disorders in females, and the migration of certain mountain populations to higher altitudes. .
For a moratorium on chamois hunting!
Taking into account the negative dynamics of chamois numbers in the Doubs, taking into account the presence of natural predators of the chamois in this department, taking into account the negative effects of climate change on the species identified by several scientific studies, and taking into account, finally, the absence of serious evidence which would tend to demonstrate that the chamois would endanger the forests of the Jura, ASPAS urgently requests, as it did previously in Drôme, a moratorium on the hunting of this species!
We also invite citizens sensitive to the cause of the chamois to sign the petition launched by the local association Humanimo.
Also read : “They do not deserve the death penalty”, the intervention of Jean Chapuis, ASPAS delegate in Doubs, on France Info
© Header photo: P. Huguenin
