Death revives argument over hunters’ rights

Press, 23 October 1984, Page 20

Death revives argument over hunters’ rights

NZPA-Reuter Paris The death in a shooting' incident of a wildlife protectionist at the start of the French hunting season has revived a simmering row over exactly where the hunter has the right to shoot — if he has the right at all. Cosimo Lipartiti, a former legionnaire who had become a leading anti-hunt campaigner, died in hospital in south-east France after being shot while trying to prevent two men from shooting on his property in the Var region. A local authority employee, Michel Thibaud, has been charged by the police with murder. Mr Lipartiti’s property was fronted by a sign saying “Refuge — hunting banned under article 365 of the country code. Here begins respect for life and the love of Nature.” The police said the two men beat him up after he ordered them off his land where they had been hunting. As Thibaud returned to his car he turned and fired at Mr Lipartiti, hitting him in the chest and stomach, the police said. The other

man was released after questioning. . Mr Lipartiti’s death drew a storm of protest from such leading animal lovers as the film star, Brigitte Bardot, who said he had been killed “for respecting life too much.” Ms Bardot,' who is now 50 and devotes much of her time to animal welfare, urged reformation of French hunting laws, many of which date from, their French Resolution. The Minister of Environment, Mrs Bouchardeau, said recently that although the incident was an act of violence, it had nothing to do with problems connected with the country’s complex hunting laws. is She said a main reform of the Statute Book, which includes a law passed in 1964 aimed at preventing the fragmentation of large hunting areas, would be ready by the end of 1985. Critics of the hunt in France said the effect of the present law, combined with much older statutes, is to prevent people who own properties of less than 20 ha from banning hunters from their land.

The Society for the Protection of Animals called for the 1964 law to be scrapped completely, describing it as “an insult to freedom which frequently provokes serious problems between hunters and peaceful Nature lovers.” Ms Bardot wants the Government to consider banning hunting altogether. Recently, President Mitterrand said he was ready to meet the actress to discuss wildlife conservation, although a date has not yet been fixed. Ms Bardot said, “This latest escalation illustrates the decadence of a society which prefers violence to peace. It is time to reverse this aberration.” There are just under two million licensed hunters in France, who last year shot 150,000 red deer, roe deer, and wild boar apart from wildfowl and game, according to figures published by hunting organisations. A recent study by JeanMichel Pinet of the National Agronomy Institute showed the sheer economic power of the hunting lobby in France. Hunters spent about 5.5 billion francs ($650 million) on their sport last

year, including guns, permits and cartridges. Those in favour are far from on the retreat. They counter the protectionists’ lobby by saying that the strict controls on the numbers of animals to be shot contribute to conservation. Paul Melen, director of the Hunting and Nature Information Committee, said a survey of the French press over a year turned up 6836 articles that approached the subject of hunting in a neutral fashion and 1263 were favourable, while only 279 were against hunting. Proof that hunting is big business in France is evident during any trip into the countryside. A walk through the richly wooded Champagne region east of Paris reveals countless signs warning that hunters use the area. Publicly owned land is let to hunting organisations, much to the chagrin of residents. One country-house owner in Orbais L’Abbaye, just south of Epernay, complained, “This time of the year I dare not go into the woods. It’s just too dangerous. I stand the risk of getting my head blown off.”