WWF criticises Austria’s beaver shooting rules

The environmental organisation WWF has criticised the shooting of beavers in Austria, saying the current system conflicts with European species protection rules and uses prohibited equipment such as thermal imaging devices, ORF reported.

In Salzburg, a maximum of 15 beavers may be shot each year. The quota is not fully used, according to Gundi Habenicht, the state’s beaver coordinator. The WWF nevertheless says Salzburg’s rules breach European Union species protection law because they bypass the required assessment of individual cases.

Habenicht disputes that criticism. She said Salzburg first examines which areas may qualify when issuing the relevant regulation. These are areas for which a professional assessment already exists, such as an expert report, an official decision or an assessment by the authorities.

The WWF also objects to the use of technical aids during beaver hunts in Salzburg, saying infrared and thermal imaging cameras are prohibited. The state government said the equipment was used mainly to ensure safe shooting at night. Beavers are active at dusk and during the night.

Habenicht said the aim was to prevent hunted animals from dying in agony after being missed. The shootings have little effect on the overall beaver population, she said. Salzburg is estimated to have between 350 and 400 beavers, most of them in the Flachgau region and the Saalach Valley in Pinzgau.