In Ukraine hunting was banned and there was an increase in the number of predators and boars. Rabies and ASF are spreading.
Since February 2022 – erstwhile Russia attacked Ukraine – average life ended. Faced with the threat, Ukrainian hunters played a key function and were the first defensive line of their country.
Before the war Ukraine had 350,000 active hunters. It is simply a vast community of trained people with weapons and ability to decision in the field. There was quite a few news in the media about 100,000 hunters who volunteered for the army. Their contribution to the fight against the aggressor was and is inactive invaluable.
Thanks to the commitment and opposition of the full nation, Putin's plans to conquer the full country were thwarted. Ukraine has retained its statehood. Sadly, about 20 percent of the territory remains occupied, and the front line spans 1,500 km!
Environmental crisis
In the face of a full-scale war, Ukrainian authorities imposed a ban on hunting throughout the country. Although this decision was accepted with knowing from a national safety perspective, its long-term consequences proved devastating to the environment and the economy.
The fox population increased by 65 percent. Even more worrying is the increase in the number of wolves by 50 percent and the golden jackals. The second has increased by more than 400 percent!
This uncontrolled increase in the number of all predators and simultaneous cessation of vaccination programmes resulted in the massive spread of rabies. The number of confirmed rabies outbreaks increased from 469 in 2022 to 1086 in 2023.
There is besides an expanding problem with boars in Ukraine. Their population increased by more than 50 percent, which translates into more cases of African swine fever (ASF). It is hard to believe – but our neighbors say – that the deficiency of sanitary shots caused an increase in the number of outbreaks by 880 percent!
In the face of these problems, the hunters asked the authorities to abolish the hunting ban...
Fighting for the Future of Hunting
It was only this year that the Ukrainian government adopted the shortened strategy of "reviving" the hunting sector. Experts agree – hunting is not only possible, but even essential in at least 18 circuits of the country that are far from the front line. In 2024 only 5 circuits were allowed to hunt, and in 10 out of 3 months, predators were shot, which is simply a drop in the sea of needs...
The fishing sector has faced a very advanced poaching rate, but now this has reached an unprecedented scale due to the fact that before the invasion, the authorities have distributed weapons to civilians for self-defense. In addition, the rules on hunting inactive have a large impact on the well-functioning and financed organisations of animal rights defenders from abroad, which are constantly striving for a complete ban on hunting!
They usage war very efficiently for their purposes and show the degree of destruction. Over 3 million hectares of forest were damaged. 900 protected areas have ceased to exist, and 80 species of chaotic animals are at hazard of extinction...
Conclusions for Poland
We frequently discuss the effectiveness of combating African swine fever. If we look east, we can see that we have no chance to control this virus. all day sick individuals come to Poland from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
It's the same thing with rabies that we're uncovering more and more. Its reserve is clearly Ukraine and Belarus today, so the only solution we should think about present – if we want to fight rabies and ASF – is to build a barrier on the east and confederate border.
However, virus issues are of small importance if we look at the actions of opponents of hunting. Today, our counterintelligence services should be very careful in examining all sources of backing for pro-animal organisations – which in Ukraine were financed by Russia before the war. Disarming hunters and imposing further bans that will discourage hunting and shooting is Putin's main objective.
