This is a proposal by the Green presidential candidate, Yannick Jadot. Last year, 80 hunting accidents in France claimed the lives of seven people. The hunters and the hiking federation of Bouches-du-Rhône plead for “mutual respect”.
“The coexistence of hikers and hunters is generally done in good understanding,” says Jean-Marc Magnan, the “Mr. Security” of the French Federation of Hikers in the Bouches du Rhône. “We sometimes come across hunting parties in the middle of a hill, and usually it is the hunters themselves who alert us to the danger, they have lookouts to prevent the risk of accidents.
However, the fear is certainly present among experienced hikers, such as Jacques: “Sometimes it is exciting, things are not going so well, the hunters do not understand that we have the right to enjoy nature, even if they are in the middle of a hunting party. And they don’t understand that the danger comes from them, they are the ones with the guns!
Hunters are the first victims of hunting accidents
Last year, 80 hunting accidents took place in France, killing seven people, including six hunters. But hunters refuse the idea of banning hunting on weekends and during school holidays: “Regulations are becoming stricter, our permits are becoming more and more expensive because we pay for safety training, we dress in orange to be visible, we mark all our hunts,” explains Pascal, a hunter for 30 years.
Against all expectations, the walkers are not in favor of this ban either: “If hunting is banned on Wednesdays, weekends, on school holidays, outside these periods, then we can no longer do anything, then we have no more rights. We have to share the space, and the hunters have to watch out for us,” concludes Pierre, a hiker who has come from the Oise to discover the Arbois plateau.
