June 26, 2018

On Mai 24, 2018, a two-day-old fawn was killed in Erlinsbach in the canton of Solothurn by a farmer's mower. A neighbor told Tele M1, a television station, that she had wanted to walk through the field before the farmer began mowing but arrived too late. According to Tele M1, at least three fawns have been killed in the same field in recent years.

Every farmer ought to be aware of the fact that deer give birth to their young during mowing season and hide them in tall grass. When in danger, fawns instinctively remain motionless and only get up when when the mower is just a few meters away. Usually their reaction comes too late and the animals are run over by the machine. The instinct to remain still only goes away when fawns reach 2-3 weeks of age. They either die on the spot or must be put down by a gamekeeper as a result of the severe injuries and mutilations sustained by the mowers.

Farmers have a number of options to check their fields for hidden fawns before mowing. For example, they can all on gamekeepers to blind the fields or track down the animals with dogs to scare them away. Furthermore, there are various associations, such as the Rehkitzrettung (fawn rescue) Schweiz, dthat rescue fawns using thermal cameras and multicopters. Therefore, not taking protective measures before and during mowing, although such measures would have been perfectly feasible, implies deliberately risking the killing of animals.

The question whether protective measures were taken in the present case, which TIR highly doubts, is to be established by the prosecutor. TIR hopes the prosecutor in charge of the case will initiate a thorough investigation. In addition to an offense against the anti-cruelty law, TIR believes it is also necessary to examine a possible violation of the hunting act.