No more feckless hunting!

There are very few wild animals left in the Algarve - largely because they’ve all been killed by hunters, or driven away by the destruction of their natural habitats. Nonetheless, in the name of tradition, many Algarvian hunters – particularly those that lack the financial means to shoot in game reserves abroad – continue with their hobby.

Wild animals go on being hunted or killed throughout the region as if their slaughter assured the sustenance of families, or affirmed the notion of male dominance. Some of the hunters I have talked to say the sport has become an addiction, like smoking. Others say the best moment of a day out hunting is the banter with fellow gun-toters over a major-league blow-out afterwards – even if they haven’t managed to kill a thing. While some justify the whole charade by the fact that it gives the dog a good walk which otherwise “poor thing” would be cooped up in its pen.

And talking of dogs, I should add here that most hunting dogs are treated abysmally, despite animal protection laws which, unfortunately, aren’t worth the paper they’re written on in this country.

Plants and other wildlife are also destroyed by hunters as paradoxically a lot of the hunting reserves in Portugal are also in protected areas (REN, RAN, nature reserves, etc.). You only have to walk through nature to see huge quantities of empty plastic cartridge cases left discarded throughout the landscape - even though everyone these days knows that metal and plastic do not biodegrade. To add insult to injury, all this takes place on a Sunday! The only day off for many people!

But the issue isn’t really the mere fact of hunting. If properly handled, there’s nothing wrong with it. Hunting can actually serve as a way of controlling species and protecting nature. In other countries, in exchange for the right to shoot, hunters have to participate regularly in activities promoting conservation/ preservation of flora and fauna. Indeed, environmental activities are integrated within courses that hunters are all obliged to take.

Other obligations include active participation in reforestation programmes and the collection of rubbish strewn around the countryside. But in the Algarve, anyone can go out blasting from both barrels uncontrollably, particularly in areas quite close to people’s houses or frequented by ramblers (for example, Rocha da Pena in Loulé - a favourite place for walkers - is littered with empty cartridge cases).

In Spain, on the other hand, you’ll find hunting areas a good way from local communities. While this doesn’t happen in the Algarve, the rules here for applying for a hunting licence are also much too accessible.

In Germany, for instance, licences are really only handed out to people who can pass a high-level aptitude test. Could it be that the low level of requirements for a licence in Portugal are a consequence of the low level of education (illiteracy, even) that still persists in some communities? Is it the education system that’s at fault, or the gun lobbies? The way I see it, it’s a bit of everything.

Whether I am in the Costa Vicentina nature reserve, or near Barão de São João in Lagos (also a natural reserve), I find myself harassed by gunshots – particularly on my days off. Every Thursday, Sunday and Bank Holiday, the peace and tranquility of nature is broken.

On Sundays – usually the only day in the week when I don’t work, and when I like to sleep in until 10 am – I’m often woken by gunshots, even before sunrise! Private property is regularly trespassed – with hunters often shooting in front of houses without respecting the minimum safety distance.

Dog numbers are also connected to hunting. Many hunters think it worth their while to have up to a dozen dogs, so that they pay their way by being rented out to friends and other hunting companions.

These animals are being exploited for commercial ends, and kept in unsanitary cramped compounds. Hunters seem unconcerned that their dogs’ barks and howls may irritate neighbours, and thus both animals and locals come second to this macho hunting instinct. Can all the brutality really be a consequece of lack of teaching in schools? It’s almost too banale an explanation. Twenty-five years ago, when not every house and restaurant/ bar had TV, and before the adulation of the motorcar, people had a much higher respect for nature!

But the Portuguese authorities are always creating stumbling blocks when it comes to recognising game licence requirements of other member states – and they know very little of what’s required elsewhere. This lack of European consciousness is actually quiet staggering. I have a decision from the Supreme Court of Justice in Lisbon in my possession in which Swtizerland is described as a Member State of the European Union…