More than a thousand roe deer, deer and wild boars die every day in Polish forests. Plans call for even greater culling

600 wild boars per day, over 500 roe deer and 300 deer – Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment Mikołaj Dorożała presented hard data on hunting. And this is how representatives of the Polish Hunting Association commented on them. – And what is the annual increase in deer? And, to tell you the truth, if the population is growing, it may mean that we should kill 400 deer per day so that the population is stable, so throwing out such numbers that are shocking – this is not the role of the minister – said prof. dr hab. Wanda Olech. Plans for the next hunting year include an even greater cull – three thousand more deer than in the previous year. – Approximately every second deer was killed, approximately every fourth roe deer was killed, and in the case of wild boars – four times more individuals were killed than the initial population of these animals before breeding – points out Dr. Robert Maślak from the University of Wrocław, a member of the Hunting Team at the Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Hundreds of animals die in Polish forests every day. The number of wild boars shot last year exceeded the planned number – by almost 90 percent. The Ministry of Climate and Environment announces changes. – I am not saying that we want to eliminate hunting in Poland. That is not the point. But there is no room here for some hobby, that I just want to shoot, but if there are specific tasks, they must be carried out in accordance with the impact on the environment – indicates the Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment Mikołaj Dorożała. Over the last five years alone, over a million wild boars have been shot, explaining this primarily with the fight against ASF.

– The reduction of wild boars is ongoing, which is carried out on this principle in order to limit the spread of the ASF virus, which could primarily threaten pig herds, herds of pigs bred in Poland – says Mateusz Murzyn, spokesman for the Polish Hunting Association.

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According to naturalists, this is primarily a financial benefit for hunters, because mass hunting has the opposite effect – it promotes the spread of the virus.

– When shot, this boar is scared, covers much greater distances, carrying the virus, so in fact, wanting to help, we spread this virus – points out Radosław Ślusarczyk from the Workshop for All Beings. – Poland is still in the lead of European countries when it comes to the size of this epidemic. When it comes to the number of wild boars killed with ASF, it is below three percent, so hunters practically kill healthy boars as part of sanitary shootings, so it is a form of obtaining meat, simply doing business – explains Robert Maślak.

There is also another accusation against hunters: the deliberate increase in wild populations. – We feed these animals. The more game, the more hunting, the more money we have from carcasses, the more we can put out food, and this is how the circle closes. It is directly opposite to the operation of nature, but hunters manage Polish nature, Polish animals so badly – they feed and shoot – sums up Radosław Ślusarczyk. Changes in hunting are necessary, the Ministry of Climate and Environment has no doubt about it, which is why the Hunting Reform Team was established.

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After Tuesday's discussion on bird hunting, representatives of the Supreme Hunting Council left the room. – This overturning of the table, this leaving of this meeting, is probably an attempt to show off, to intimidate the ministry. It will not work, we will not back down from the need for reforms, this is what Poles expect – says Mikołaj Dorożała. The team's work will continue regardless of the presence of hunters.