Hunting causes concern for rural residents

Hunting season in Majorca has begun, and it is not necessarily welcomed by those who live rurally.

The general Majorcan hunting season runs each year from the national bank holiday on August 15, through to February the following year, and within this time, each individual species of bird or small mammal is assigned a different period of time in which hunters are permitted to seek them as prey. However, there are exceptions to this rule, with hunters given permission to hunt rabbits outside of the general season (beginning June 23) and further rules as to when hunting with dogs is permitted and when it isn´t.

Hunting: a help or a hazard?

Pedro Bestard, counsellor of the environment, rural environment and sports in Majorca, insists that the hunters play a valuable role in helping to preserve and control the conservation of biodiversity on the island and is a historic tradition that must be maintained and supported [Diario de Mallorca, 23/05/2024]. However, many residents of countryside properties, including locals born on the island, tend to dread the hunting season and the relentless sound of shots echoing through the air outside their homes.

This is sometimes due to a personal dislike of the activity itself, but more often than not, because of the careless and disrespectful way in which many hunters work. Despite the fact that shooting within 100 metres of a residential property is prohibited by law, many hunters are inconsiderate of this and continue to shoot within this distance. They are also obliged to shoot in the opposite direction to a property, that is to say, always with their backs to the house in question. However, again, many hunters are not mindful of this and will fire in any direction in which they happen to see movement. This can cause concerns over safety for children and pets, and can prove to be nerve wracking every time a shot rings out, disturbing not only the sense of security one should feel in one´s own home, but also the peaceful environment which one tends to seek when choosing to live rurally.

Controversy and contention between hunters and residents of country homes

Hunting dogs can also cause concern over the safety of domestic pets, as it is their natural instinct to follow any scent they find and chase their prey, and obviously these dogs will not discern between somebody´s pet and a wild animal. They can also be a bother to people out walking their dogs (which is still legal on hunting days as long as the domestic dog is kept on a lead) as the hunting dogs can approach and bother the walkers, causing concern for the safety of their own canine friend.

Hunting will always be a controversial activity, with the welfare of the dogs and what happens to them out of season being a big factor in itself. This, combined with a common disregard to the people who live in the countryside, and a lack of adherence to the stipulated regulations, can make the hunters a very unwelcome part of country living in Majorca, with many people counting down the days until being woken by gunshot is once again replaced by waking up to the sound of birdsong.