Hunting fair in Dortmund: Green require a fee for species protection!

Hunting fair in Dortmund: Green require a fee for species protection!

The trade fair "Jagd & Hund" in Dortmund, which takes place in the Westphalia halls from January 28 to February 2, 2025, is considered the largest hunting fair in Europe and has been criticized for years. Animal welfare organizations, such as Prewildlife, report illegal offers and the marketing of endangered animal species such as elephants, rhinos and leopards. The Dortmund Council Group of the Greens has prompted the situation to request the introduction of a species protection fee of 10 euros per visitor to support the protection of these endangered species. The income from this fee should flow into projects for species protection in Africa.

Currently, admission to the fair costs 23 euros, and with over 80,000 visitors per year, the additional fee could generate more than 800,000 euros for species protection. According to the Greens, this would be a small amount compared to the average expenditure of 720 euros per visitor. Katrin Lögering, spokeswoman for the Green Council Group, emphasizes the importance of this fee in order to raise awareness of the risk to endangered endangered species. It refers to similar models as the species protection euro in Zoos, which is already successfully used to support projects in animal and species protection.

ethics committee and political challenges

The discussion about the hunting fair is also accompanied by political challenges. Mayor Thomas Westphal (SPD) had promised in the 2020 election campaign to establish an ethics committee in order to evaluate the offers of the fair. This commission was used in autumn 2023, but it is criticized that it cannot deliver substantial results until the end of the current election period. The Greens say that this undermines the seriousness of the efforts to protect species in Dortmund.

Another sign of political tensions is the rejection of an application by the city council, which should strengthen the control of trophy hunting offers. This decision is interpreted as a signal that the concerns of species protection in Dortmund are not taken seriously, which increases frustration via trade fair operation.

protests and controversy

The fair was the goal of protests in the past. Critics point out that hunting trips for endangered species such as elephants and lions represent a cynical offer that endangers species protection. The biologist Dr. Mona Schweizer from Pro Wildlife complains about the cruel practices of trophy hunt and their negative effects on species protection. In addition, reports on forbidden hunting methods have appeared in recent years, which are advertised at the fair, which further fueled the controversy around the event.

The spokeswoman for the Westfalenhalle said that the criticism and demand for the fee have so far not been brought directly to them and that the institution only became aware of the claims through online contributions. The tensions between hunting interests and the protection of endangered species are only further fueled by the planned introduction of the species protection fee and the continued criticism of the trade fair offers.