A NEW ATTEMPT TO CHANGE ITALIAN HUNTING LAW
In the next few weeks, hunting extremists and their supporters in Italian politics, will make their by far most determined attempt ever to change Italian hunting legislation. This group, the so-called Sparasiepi, call for a complete lifting of almost all restrictions arising from environmental or animal conservation and protection considerations.
Senator Franco Orsi, himself a hunter from Savona in Liguria Province, has made a rapid rise in the political establishment due to his stance on hunting and nature, and the time is sadly now politically ripe for such initiatives. The Berlusconi government has a disregard for nature and sees it as a resource to be exploited both financially and in terms of its natural treasures. Senator Orsi is on the record as saying: “I don’t understand the opposition to hunting when it provides so much income and employment”.
The old hunting legislation, itself an uneasy compromise between hunters and conservationists, will be altered beyond recognition and emasculated. Some main points of the proposed new reformed law are for instance.
- 16 year olds will be permitted to hunt
- Little Owls may be used as live decoys
- Decoy birds must not be ringed
- Hunters will not require a permit for stuffing their trophies
- all species of bird may be used as live decoys If they are captive-bred
- Hunting from boats and ships will be permitted as long as the motor is not in use while hunting
- Hunting-free areas will be reduced and the designation of new nature reserves made more difficult
- Hunters of migrant birds may shoot for an extra half hour at dawn and dusk
- The regions and provinces will have more say on what species my be shot and when
- Hunters will be permitted a 20 day mobility period throughout Italy to follow and shoot migrant species
To counter this assault on wildlife, Italy’s largest nature protection organisations have banded together to conduct a joint media and protest postcard campaign. In addition WWF, LIPU and Legambiente commissioned a representative survey on where Italians stand on hunting.
What do ordinary Italians think? A survey shows that the overwhelming majority of Italians are against the proposal.
- No to lowering the age of hunting to 16 – 94%
- No to lengthening the hunting season – 86%
- No to lifting penalties for hunting crimes – 86%
- No to hunting in parks – 91%
- No to increase in hunting species 91%
Instead the State should take better care of nature and listen to the environmental community.
- Yes, safety measures should be increased – 81%
- Yes, environmental protection is an urgent problem – 91%
- Yes, the state should increase protection for nature – 86%
- Yes, environmental associations do an important job – 87%
The political beliefs (from far right to far left) had little or no influence on the survey’s results.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Those outside Italy who wish to support the Italian conservationists’ campaign can assist by sending an email in Italian to the President of the Environmental Committee of the Italian Senate Senator Antonio D’Ali. Copy the text in Italian below, open the link, paste in text and send.
MAIL TO ITALIAN SENATE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
As many mails to the committee president were returned as ‘quota full’ I have now included the two vice-presidents.
To:
bruno_f@posta.senato.it, monti_c@posta.senato.it,
cc: stavros.dimas@ec.europa.eu
bcc: info@proact-campaigns.net
Commissione Ambiente del Senato
c/o Senato della Repubblica
Palazzo Madama
00186 Roma
24 marzo 2009
CACCIA: DIRE NO A PROPOSTA ORSI
Gentile Senatore,
vorrei esprimerLe il mio netto dissenso e riprovazione circa i contenuti del testo unificato e di gran parte delle proposte di legge in materia di esercizio della caccia, all’esame della XIII Commisisone Territorio/Ambiente (c.d. proposta Orsi).
Ritengo intollerabile per la tutela del nostro patrimonio faunistico l’estensione degli orari e dei periodi di caccia, il nomadismo sul territorio nazionale dei cacciatori di fauna migratrice, l’estensione dell’odiosa pratica dell’impiego dei richiami vivi (anche senza contrassegni di legittima provenienza), l’aumento degli ostacoli alla creazione di oasi di protezione per la fauna selvatica, e l’estensione della possibilità di cacciare contemplata anche per i minorenni.
Le chiedo quindi di fare qualunque cosa in Suo potere per impedire che si perpetri lo scempio della fauna selvatica del nostro Paese, patrimonio indisponibile dello Stato e ricchezza di biodiversità da lasciare in patrimonio alle prossime generazioni.
Non permetta che una esigua minoranza disperda un bene che appartiene a tutti i cittadini, contro la volontà della maggioranza degli italiani, che sono e rimarranno sempre contro la caccia.
Ringraziandola anticipatamente per quanto vorrà fare, distintamente La saluto.
[Name & address]