In the court in Potsdam, a Dutch hunter had to answer for shooting a wolf: now the acquittal
Today, a Dutch hunter had to answer to the court of Potsdam for shooting a wolf. The hunting guest shot a wolf in January 2019 during a driven hunt in Brandenburg. According to witness statements, the wolf had previously attacked hunting dogs. Even by screaming and clapping loudly, the wolf could not stop the dogs. Now the court acquitted the man. The hunter had the right to shoot the wolf, the judge said in his judgment.
Jager had refused to end the proceedings
The 61-year-old hunter was accused of violating the Federal Nature Conservation Act. The public prosecutor had previously offered the hunter to discontinue the proceedings on the basis of Article 153a against payment of a sum of money. However, his lawyer and the German Hunting Association had filed a lawsuit. “Only then can we finally get legal certainty,” says Thorsten Reinwald of the DJV.
The hunter told the Bild : “I really don’t feel good about it. But what should I do? Watch the dogs get torn apart? I wish I would never end up in a situation like this again. But if — I would do the same.”
Today’s trial was the first in German judicial history in which a hunter had to answer for shooting a wolf as part of a security measure. The verdict could point the way for future cases.
