There are
over 6,000 Alpine ibexes in the Swiss canton of Wallis
|
A Swiss
region that has faced heavy criticism for allowing wealthy foreigners to pay
large sums to shoot protected Alpine ibexes, a species of wild goat, for
trophies decided Friday to end the practice.
The
southern Swiss canton of Wallis, the only one to allow the trophy hunting, said
in a statement that as of next year, foreigners would no longer be granted
permits to hunt ibexes.
The canton
stressed that its Alpine ibex population was growing healthily and said there
was still a need for responsible regulation through hunting.
But it said
that from 2021, "ibex regulation will only be carried out by hunters
residing in the canton of Wallis or those who hold a Wallis hunting
licence."
The canton
has for years quietly allowed trophy hunters to shoot ageing male ibexes
already destined for elimination.
But a
documentary aired by public broadcaster RTS last year brought the trophy hunt
to the attention of the broader public, sparking a heated debate across
Switzerland about the practice and its potential impact on the viability of the
species.
Outraged
citizens launched a petition demanding the "disgraceful" hunt be
halted, gathering some 75,000 signatures in a matter of months.
The entire
Swiss ibex population was wiped out at the end of the 19th century, but since
they were reintroduced from neighbouring Italy, the population in the country
has grown to around 17,000.
Wallis
counted 6,030 ibexes at the end of 2019 -- nearly double the roughly 3,500 in
the canton 15 years earlier.
The canton
allows several hundred animals to be culled each year, with the maximum quota
this year standing at 544 animals.
Animals
across all age groups and of both sexes can be listed for culling, but males
over the age of 11 are typically offered to trophy hunters, at a price.
The cost
depends on the length of the horns, with the longest specimens, measuring
around 1.10 metres, reportedly raking in up to $20,000 for a pair.
The canton
has pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in income from this hunt
annually.
For 2020,
authorities have granted hunting permits for up to 45 large males over the age
of 11, including 25 to foreign hunters.
While the
canton will lose income once the foreign trophy hunters are gone, it pointed
out Friday that the shift would lead to a reduction in workload for game
rangers, who had been tasked with supervising and accompanying foreigners
holding one-day hunting permits.
This, it
said, would allow the region to save on personnel resources, meaning there
would be no need to hike hunting licence prices for Wallis residents, which had
been one of the main sticking points in the debate.
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