「经济学人」Game-shooting in France
Game-shooting in France法国狩猎
France reviews its hunting rulesFatal accidents pit hunters against other users of the countryside
法国审查狩猎法律，致命意外让猎手与乡村其他人产生对立。
Across France, the forests and vineyards in winter are blissfully quiet. Apart, that is, from the periodic sound of gunfire. The season for la chasse (hunting) runs from September to February. Over New Year, when there is less to do in the fields, many farmers and other locals pick up their guns and head out in search of sangliers (wild boar), hares or other game. To the unsuspecting rambler, the sight of a fully grown sanglier fleeing along a footpath can prompt surprise—or worse. The number of accidents caused by hunting each year has triggered an intractable row about the use of the French countryside.
1. 冬天，法国全境的森林和葡萄园安静祥和。只是，传来季节性枪声。狩猎季从9月持续到来年2月。新年期间，田里没什么事可做，不少农民和本地人拿起猎枪，出发搜寻野猪、野兔等猎物。对于闯入的漫步者，看到成年大野猪在小路上逃窜会感到惊奇甚至可能遭遇更糟糕的事。每年因打猎造成的事故数量，引起对法国乡村使用问题展开激烈的争论。
Game-shooting in France is not, mostly, an elite pastime. Over 1.1m people have hunting permits, making it the third-most-popular sport after football and fishing. For many locals it is at once a social get-together, a sport, a way to fill the fridge and a means of pest control. France’s National Forests Office reckons that half of publicly owned forests have an overpopulation of boar, deer and other game. This can lead to the destruction of saplings and hamper forest regeneration. At an estimated 2m, France’s wild-boar population has grown sixfold over the past 30 years. Rooting for acorns and beech mast or trampling on crops or vines, these long-snouted hairy beasts alone cause some €30m ($32m) of damage to crops each year. Culling them, say forest managers, is part of biodiversity management. In 2021, 842,000 wild boar in France were legally shot.
2. 法国狩猎不能算小众精英消遣。110多万法国人有狩猎证，狩猎是继足球、垂吊之外的第三大运动。对于许多当地人而言，狩猎是社交活动，是一项运动、一种补充食物的方式，也是控制动物灾害的手段。法国国家森林局发现一半的国有森林中野猪、野鹿等动物种群数量泛滥。这将会破坏幼苗，影响森林再生。过去三十年来法国野猪数量增长6倍，约有200万头。大鼻子长毛野猪糟蹋橡树、桦树，祸害庄稼、葡萄园，每年给农作物带来3000万欧元的损失。森林管理员称，猎杀野猪是生态多样治理的一部分。2012年，法国合法猎杀了84万头法国狩猎不能算小众精英消遣。110多万法国人有狩猎证，狩猎是继足球、垂吊之外的第三大运动。对于许多当地人而言，狩猎是社交活动，是一项运动、一种补充食物的方式，也是控制动物灾害的手段。法国国家森林局发现一半的国有森林中野猪、野鹿等动物种群数量泛滥。这将会破坏幼苗，影响森林再生。过去三十年来法国野猪数量增长6倍，约有200万头。大鼻子长毛野猪糟蹋橡树、桦树，祸害庄稼、葡萄园，每年给农作物带来3000万欧元的损失。森林管理员称，猎杀野猪是生态多样治理的一部分。2012年，法国合法猎杀了84万头野猪。
Yet hunting also led to 90 accidental shootings of people during the 2021-22 season, and eight deaths. This was more than in the previous season, although a drop from 31 deaths 20 years ago. Most victims are hunters, but passers-by are also at risk. Last season 17% of the accidents involved hunters shooting towards footpaths, roads or dwellings. After the death in 2020 of Morgan Keane, a young man shot while chopping wood near his house in the Lot region, a petition by his friends led to a Senate inquiry into hunting safety. Its report, published last September, made 30 recommendations, such as a ban on alcohol, which it blamed in 9% of the cases.
3.然而，2021到2022年间，打猎活动也造成90起人员意外枪击事件，8人死亡。比20年前年，31人的死亡数据有下降，但是远高于上一年。大部分受害者是猎人，过路客也存在危险。上一年度17%的意外事件中，猎人向道路、小径、或居民住宅开枪射击。2020年在洛特地区，摩根·基恩在家附近砍树时，被一年轻男子枪中身亡，此后基恩的朋友发起请愿，引起议会注意，开始征询狩猎安全问题。9月份的报告中提出30条推荐规定，其中包括禁酒。意外事件中有9%与饮酒有关。
Despite the powerful French hunting lobby, and a fringe political party that represents it, rules have been tightened. A law passed in 2019 obliges game-shooters to wear an orange fluorescent jacket. In 2021 France’s highest court outlawed the use of glue-traps to snare songbirds, in line with European practice. The government may now go further. Bérangère Couillard, the junior minister in charge, says there is “no taboo”. She will unveil more proposals on January 9th.
4. 尽管庞大的法国狩猎团出面游说，并得到少数政党的支持，狩猎规定仍得以收紧。2019年通过的法案要求狩猎者需穿着橙色荧光夹克。2021年，法国高院宣布，与欧洲法律保持一致，法国使用黏网捕鸣禽列入非法行为。负责此时的副部长Bérangère Couillard,表示政府现在进一步严管，不存在什么“顾忌”。她将在1月9号提出更多体提案。
One option would be to extend nationally a ban on hunting on Sundays that exists in some public forests. Green politicians want to outlaw hunting at weekends, on public holidays and in school holidays as well. Such ideas enrage chasseurs, many of whom also work during the week, and who accuse squeamish city-dwellers of imposing their values on everybody else.
5.现在部分国有森林在周日禁止打猎，有也可能扩大范围到全国。绿党政客希望周末、公共假期、学校假期都禁止狩猎。这个提议惹怒了猎手，他们当中有人在周中还要工作，他们指责娇气的城里人把他们的价值观强加他人。
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "On the scent" (Jan 5th 2023)
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