Limassol/Budapest, 5 May 2006

 

At the Closing Session of its 53rd General Assembly on 5 May 2006 in Limassol, Cyprus, the CIC – International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation, declared unequivocally to condemn any form of unethical manipulation of game animals in order to produce unnatural trophies. The CIC General Assembly was attended by representatives of the United Nations, governments, hunting organizations as well as scientists from 42 countries. The actual reason for this declaration was a red deer stag that was taken last autumn in Bulgaria, and was reputed as a “world record stag”. According to the latest information available to the CIC this stag came from an enclosure in the Alpine region, and was transported to Bulgaria to be “hunted”.

 

In Cyprus the CIC Commission “Exhibitions and Trophies” made a declaration stating that quote: “the measurement of the red deer stag, which took place on 3 December 2005 in Traunreut, Germany, by the CIC ad-hoc Commission resulting in 278,03 CIC points is herewith officially annulled”.

 

The reason for the annulment is quote: “In the meantime we have received clear evidence that this stag had been raised in a manipulated form and in contradiction to the established practices of species and animal welfare requirements.” In addition the hunter that participated in good faith at the hunt in Bulgaria was deliberately defrauded!

 

This clear declaration of the CIC has also received special support from Her Excellency Maria Rauch-Kallat, Minister for Health and Women of the Republic of Austria, who was present at the CIC General Assembly and raised her voice against “artificial” trophies, as these are not what sustainable hunting is about. Minister Rauch-Kallat urged the CIC to take a clear stand against any form of “record-mania” in hunting and to condemn the so-called “put-and-take“ practices.