Category: Hunting
Since it stopped in 2021, an Icelandic company plans to hunt Minke whales once again.
Iceland, Norway and Japan are now the only 3 nations which still hunt whales.
Licenses issued last December were to two companies for the 2025 – 2029 period.
Annual catches of 209 Fin whales and 217 Minke whales could be hunted each year in a season running from mid June until September.
In 2018 six 6 Minke were hunted, and in 2021 one 1 Minke was hunted.
Icelandic whalers have not hunted Minke recently as it is not considered profitable.
But now the Tjaldtanji company said it intended to give it a try this summer – 2025.
They intend to hunt off northwest Iceland.
Iceland’s only other active Hvular, which only hunts fin whales, said in April it would not hunt for a second year because of a lack of profitability.
Animal rights activists, along with the Icelandic tourism industry, have both condemned the proposals.
The Icelandic Whale Watching Association recently proposed that some of the hunting grounds be defined as whale sanctuaries.
Whalers said that there is excitement amongst locals to get Minke meat in this summer.
WAV Comment – we suggest that there is a lot more incentive to business in the area by undertaking whale watching; combined with education and souvenirs; rather than the murder of these beautiful, intelligent creatures. Humankind could learn a lot from them if given the chance.
https://www.humaneworld.org/en/issue/trophy-hunting
Did you know?
Supporters claim trophy hunting helps communities and wildlife by putting money in local people’s hands and culling weak or old animals. But in reality, very little money — as little as 3%of trophy hunting revenue — reaches the areas where hunting happens, and trophy hunters often seek the biggest, strongest animals to kill.
Inside the problem
Trophy hunters kill for bragging rights and animal parts. Banning or restricting the transport and trade of hunting trophies from species threatened by trade takes away these motivations. In the U.S., state and federal laws and regulations can reduce or stop the trophy hunting of native carnivores.
Dex Kotze
https://secure.humaneworld.org/page/165604/petition/1
https://www.birdguides.com/news/poachers-assault-conservationists-in-zakynthos/
Masked hunters have ambushed and beaten up a team of international ornithologists from the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) on the Greek island of Zakynthos.As a result of the attack three birders were injured and taken to hospital for treatment, CABS said. Local police have launched an investigation.The incident, which happened on 16 April 2025 at 12.30 pm, occurred at the Keri peninsula, an area that is known for the illegal shooting of migratory birds. Despite a total ban on spring hunting on the island many hunters were reported to be present, with most of them were carrying shotguns.
A Slovenian member of CABS had his nose broken in the incident on Zakynthos (CABS).
Brutal attack
CABS explained that while documenting the situation, some poachers approached its team and started to hurl insults and threaten them.
Stefania Travaglia, an Italian member of the CABS team, said: “Within minutes they were joined by other angry hunters and the situation went totally out of control.”
Emma Phipps, also of CABS, added: “They also threw stones and warned us never to return to Keri again if we would value our lifes.”
Travaglia added that, without warning, her team members were punched in the face, thrown to the ground and kicked in the stomach. A body camera and a smartphone, both of which recorded the incident, were also stolen by the attackers.
The men only stopped their attack and ran off when they realised that the police had been called for help and a patrol was on the way to the scene. While the officers were trying to find and identify the attackers, one female and two male birders were transported to the Saint Dionysios General Hospital in Zakynthos where doctors treated a broken nose as well as several open wounds and bruises.
Suspects identified
It is understood that local police have already identified a number of suspects which have been brought in for questioning.
CABS president Karl-Heinz Kreutzer condemned the attack as a “brutal and cowardly assault” and called upon the authorities to leave no stone unturned to bring those responsible to justice. He added that CABS will not bow to violence and intimidation tactics and that its members will continue with its activities on Zakynthos until the end of the month.
To find out more about CABS or support its work, visit www.komitee.de.
Hunters, do us a massive favour and hunt yourselves instead of intelligent animals.
He’s tough – he wears a Camo jacket
Lets face it, hunters will kill anything regardless of the positives, because they lack the intelligence of reality – or they just lack intelligence !
Image (Pixabay)
And so it begins .. a young female of 9 months was found shot on February 15th, 2025 near the small town of Fiersbach, in the district of Altenkirchen. The autopsy performed confirmed death by pericardial tamponade due to a projectile.
Under the law this is illegal and a crime, and the Upper Nature Conservation Authority SGD Nord has filed a criminal complaint. As usual, this will lead nowhere – the, without a doubt, involved hunters and farmers are a tight-knit group who cover each others’ backs.
Interestingly, only 5 days later, on February 20th, the Rhineland-Nassau Farmers’ and Winegrowers’ Association and the interest group of hunting cooperatives and private hunting owners declared themselves successful with their motion to have the wolf included in the hunting law – meaning that it is henceforth to be regarded as a huntable species.
Together with the EU’s recent decision to weaken the protective status of the wolf this is bad news …
Also, it means, in our view, that one local party produced facts several days ahead of that decision by the state government and the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility Rhineland-Palatinate.
GERMAN ARTICLES
https://www.blick-aktuell.de/Berichte/Wolf-wird-ins-Jagdrecht-aufgenommen-619242.html?StoryId=625037
(Action below for UK Citizens only)
A new set of figures showing the scale of suspected illegal fox hunting and the havoc being inflicted on rural communities by fox hunts has been released today by national animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports.
Nearly 1,600 incidents – consisting of 474 reports relating to suspected illegal hunting, which include 397 reports of foxes being chased, and 1,117 reports of hunt havoc – were recorded in the League’s end of season fox hunting report.
Emma Judd, head of campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “These shocking figures underline why the government has announced it will launch a consultation to ban trail hunting later this year, something we are urging them to publish without delay.
“But, more than that, the Hunting Act also needs to be strengthened by removing its loopholes, which are exploited by hunts to avoid prosecution for illegal hunting, and for custodial sentences to be introduced for those who persist in breaking the law.”
The League’s figures reveal that the west of England was a particular fox hunting hot spot, with Gloucestershire, Dorset and Somerset recording the highest figures of all the counties in England and Wales.
Dorset and Somerset’s Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt, four members of which were convicted of illegal hunting this week, was the worst offending hunt in the country – with 61 reports relating to suspected illegal hunting, including 48 reports of foxes being chased and 83 reports of hunt havoc.
The Warwickshire Hunt, a member of which was convicted of illegal hunting last month after the court dismissed his claim that the hunt was following a trail, was also one of the worst offending hunts, with reports of the hunt chasing 20 foxes.
The figures cover the cub hunting season, which began in August, and then the main fox hunting season, from November 2024 to the end of March 2025.
The havoc caused by hunts includes anti-social behaviour and activities inconsistent with trail hunting, the discredited excuse used by hunts since the fox hunting ban in which they claim to claim to follow pre-laid trails.
These activities included hounds being struck on a busy road or railway line where no trail would have been laid, digging up badger setts to get to foxes that have fled underground, trespass – including in people’s private gardens – and causing harm or distress to other animals, such as family pets.
Trail hunting has been described by Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, the national lead on fox hunting crime, as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting”. He has also described illegal hunting as “prolific”.
The figures are compiled from the charity’s confidential Animal Crimewatch service and hunt monitors’ reports by the League’s intelligence team, which is staffed by former police officers and civilian analysts.
Emma added: “These figures show the fox hunts have an appalling disregard for the law and are chasing and killing foxes as they did before the ban and inflicting misery on rural communities.
“The time for change is now. New stronger fox hunting laws are needed to consign this barbaric activity to the history books.”
Members of the public can contact the League’s Animal Crimewatch service on 0300 444 1234, email crimewatch@league.org.uk or WhatsApp at 0755 278 8247.
****************************
https://takeaction.league.org.uk/page/160007/action/1
New statistics show the scale of suspected illegal fox hunting which took place over the latest fox hunting season – including hundreds of foxes seen being chased – and how urgent it is for the ban on hunting with dogs to be strengthened.
The government has announced that it will launch a consultation on banning trail hunting later this year. This is welcome and must happen soon.
But if we are to stop illegal hunting for good, the plans must go further and include removing exemptions in the law and introducing prison sentences for those who would break the law.
Please contact your MP and tell them it’s time for change. Ask them to write to the Environment Secretary to urge him to act quickly to close all the loopholes in the hunting ban.
(please sign on page)
World Animals Voice 