Oh No, Not Again!
Last Sunday it happened again. We were standing together in the backyard enjoying some sunshine and a dry moment during these past wet, gloomy weeks when we suddenly noticed a lot of activity in the forest path behind our house. A large line of cars began to gather on the road, and a large group of horsemen gathered. We looked at each other and sighed deeply. This has unfortunately become a familiar scene in the almost 10 years that we have lived here. Another organized hunt was about to begin.
Now I know that for some hunting is a traditional and even sporting activity, and yes, I also know that hunting is necessary to a certain extent to keep game populations under control. Or that hunters are used to shoot sick animals so that diseases cannot spread. I know it all, but despite that it remains a part of life in the Dutch polder that we absolutely do not like. Admittedly, these organized hunts usually do not use live foxes, although there are exceptions to this that we have also seen with our own eyes. It is not this organized hunt that takes place once or twice a year, it is mainly the fact that hunting takes place in our area all year round, which we find terrible.
In 2014 we had an illusion...
When we moved here at the end of 2014, close to the forests, with a lot of nature around us by Dutch standards, we still had the illusion that this nature would house an abundance of animals. But in reality, it seems to be getting less every year. Roe deer, which we regularly saw in quite large groups in the first year, have now become rarer. We are fortunate that we still see them occasionally, (once a year or so), but their numbers have decreased drastically. A worrying trend that appears to be the result of year-round hunting.
The Canada geese, which have found their home here, and which I enjoyed so much when I saw them sitting in large groups on the bare meadows right behind the garden, are unlucky enough to have been labeled as alien by our government. And that means that they are also hunted all year round. Legal, because according to our government, they do not belong in Dutch nature. So the once peaceful and majestic sight of these geese sitting in large groups on the meadows behind our house has now become a rarity. It appears that disturbing their habitat and constantly being on the run from hunters has seriously affected their population. Unfortunately, I can no longer enjoy that undisturbed. Every now and then I see a few Canadian geese flying over, but that's about it.
Only TWO rabbits in almost ten years?
In the almost ten years we have lived here, we have only seen a rabbit twice, which is surprisingly few considering our location on the edge of the woods. Unfortunately, rabbits can also be hunted all year round, which has a direct impact on their population. It pains us to know that these vulnerable creatures no longer have a safe haven in 'our' forests.
As animal lovers, we can't understand it with our minds, why? Those animals have done nothing wrong to us. In our minds we know that wildlife must be kept under control, after all, humans are demanding more and more habitat due to a growing population. We also know that disease among animals requires action to prevent worsening and spread. But still, this can make me very sad. Why are wild animals hunted so intensively in an environment where they are already scarce? Why do they have to suffer the constant sound of gunshots that disturb our peace and that of the animals? The legal hunting season runs from October to January, but in our area, it seems to be a serious year-round hunting season. There are now animals that are on the exemption list in the Netherlands, and thanks to that exemption they can be hunted all year round. It's seriously something that both my partner and I can't understand. And what we really hate and are affected by.
Hunters or Poachers?
We can understand that there are people who enjoy hunting and maintaining this tradition. But we seriously wonder whether there are not many poachers secretly working here in this area where we live. It is a remote area, and a poacher is not easily noticed here. That could explain a lot, but unfortunately, it doesn't change anything. We think the wildlife population here is declining. Of course, we cannot confirm this because we have no official figures, but have to rely purely on our own observations. And if we can trust that, it doesn't look good here and just way too much is being shot. It could be said that poachers are active, very active. And these poachers are not very aware of the impact of this activity on the local flora and fauna.
It could be so much better!
Unfortunately, life here is not that bad, but it could be so much better if the animals in 'our' polder had a safe existence, where they could flourish and prosper without fear of hunters or poachers. Nature in the Dutch Polder has so much to offer. Beautiful landscapes, serene tranquility, and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. It would be a better place if, instead of hunting or poaching, we tried to protect and preserve this nature. We could, (should), make the polder a place that everyone can enjoy, without the constant sound of banging.
By the way, the images are not my best ever, but forgive me for that ... LOL
I can fully understand you aren't happy with that. It's sad that they do this, and I can only imagine the barking of the dogs when it happens ;)
!PIMP
Oh, I didn't even want to get started on the dogs barking. Last week I took Skipper for the last walk of the day. We heard a "bang", and Skipper panicked when he saw someone standing in the distance. If he had been able to break free, I don't know what he would have done, but I'm almost 99% sure it wouldn't have been as fun. He was quite angry!
Oh that really sucks! That's quite stressful for you too when this happens, damn..
You must be killin' it out here!
@thisismylife just slapped you with 1.000 PIMP, @hetty-rowan.
You earned 1.000 PIMP for the strong hand.
They're getting a workout and slapped 1/3 possible people today.
Read about some PIMP Shit or Look for the PIMP District
$WINE